Bafana must avoid another embarrassing early exit

Few sporting teams master the art of disappointing their supporters like Bafana Bafana. The once-great South African senior national men’s side predictably got their campaign at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) off to an inglorious start when they were defeated 2-0 by Mali on Tuesday night.

The battle against the West Africans, whose team is well-stocked with big names playing in top leagues across Europe, was always going to be a big assignment for a Hugo Broos team with barely any international stars.

They managed to dribble their way to a loss with a spectacular second-half collapse, paying the price for not taking their chances, including a missed penalty, during a promising start in the opening period.

The defeat dug them into a deep hole. But not all is lost, as Broos and his men still live to fight another day. That day is tonight. Nothing but a victory will do against Namibia to keep alive Bafana’s hopes of being among the teams that progress to the tournament’s knockout stages.

The loss was always going to shine the spotlight on Broos’s team selection — whether he chose the best players to do battle in this edition of Afcon. Cries over the exclusion of the likes of Khanyisa Mayo, Bradley Grobler and Iqraam Rayners, all overlooked in favour of a rusty Evidence Makgopa, were even louder after Bafana failed to score.

What Broos has at his disposal are his choices. He must back the decision of his selectors by choosing a winning combination. Bafana have put themselves in this awkward position. It is up to them to haul themselves out of the quagmire tonight.

The Brave Warriors of Namibia, whom they face tonight, will be no pushovers, as they showed with their stunning win over Tunisia. Bafana must step up to the plate and avoid yet another embarrassing early elimination from a major tournament.