Coetzee gives Shakes peace of mind ahead of Afcon qualifiers

SHAKES Mashaba faces a bit of a headache as he prepares to name a Bafana Bafana squad tomorrow to do duty in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Mauritania.

The tie is scheduled for September 5 in Nouakchott, Mauritania – but, with Bafana having drawn their opening qualifier at home to Gambia, this fixture takes on even greater significance. The other team in the group is the powerful Cameroon, which means that nothing less than a victory in Mauritania will suffice.

Mashaba’s main problem lies in the fact that quite a few key players have had little, or no, competitive action in the last few weeks. But the one player the national coach doesn’t have to worry about is Ajax Cape Town’s teenage sensation, central defender Rivaldo Coetzee.

The 18-year-old from Kakamas in the Northern Cape has simply continued his magnificent form from last season. Be it against a top European side like Sporting Lisbon (who Ajax played in the Cape Town Cup last month) or a Cup semi-final against Orlando Pirates, Coetzee just takes things in his stride.

His unflappable nature for a man his age is exemplary, and is probably the main factor behind the mature performances he has delivered.

In October last year, when he made his Bafana debut, he became the youngest player ever to wear the national jersey, surpassing the record that had previously been held by Aaron Mokoena.

Coetzee’s record was, of course, later broken by recent SuperSport United signing, Fagrie Lakay.

”Look, we don’t really know, as yet, who will be picked for the Bafana squad,” said Coetzee.

“The players know it’s up to them to perform and then the coach has to make up his mind. Those of who have been selected before are aware that we always have to keep working hard to retain our positions in the squad.

“Hopefully, I’ll get a call-up again, but it’s not up to me. “In previous Afcon games last year, Bafana did very well, especially away from home. But teams study their opposition and I don’t think it will be that easy for us this time around. We can expect a tough time.”

While Coetzee has one eye trained on tomorrow’s Bafana squad announcement, he’s also heavily focused on Saturday, when Ajax are involved in their first Premier Soccer League (PSL) home fixture this season. The Cape side is up against Maritzburg United at the Cape Town Stadium (kick off 8.15pm) – and the teenager is confident they can pull off a win.

“It’s a home game and obviously we want to do well,” said Coetzee.

“We always play well at home and this should be no different. The key thing is that we have to play our normal game and not allow ourselves to feel pressure. We just have to do the best we can, and hopefully we’ll get the three points.

“For me, though, this is a season I’m just looking to play as many games as possible. It’s up to me to keep working hard to make sure that I stay in the team, and importantly that I stay injury-free.”

For Mashaba, though, ahead of tomorrow’s announcement, players like Thulani Serero, May Mahlangu, Tokelo Rantie, Mandla Masango and Dean Furman are a concern. Good as they are, it’s always difficult to throw an under-prepared footballer into action, especially in the away cauldron expected in Mauritania next month.

Serero is injured and hasn’t seen any action for Ajax Amsterdam, Mahlangu is clubless, and Rantie, despite his Bournemouth team winning promotion to the English Premiership, is still to play a game.

Masango left Kaizer Chiefs two months ago and hasn’t played since. He recently signed for Danish club Randers FC, but will definitely be a bit rusty. Furman signed for SuperSport last night – but is also probably not game-ready.

Afcon 2017 will be hosted in Gabon.