Bafana Bafana aim for a positive start in the Afcon

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Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says their opening match against Mali in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will set the tone for the rest of the tournament. The inexperienced Bafana Bafana are aiming to make a big impact on the upcoming tournament.

The last time South Africa participated in an Afcon tournament, they managed to reach the quarterfinals by beating hosts Egypt.

Only three Bafana Bafana players have previously played in an Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Williams and his vice Percy Tau, as well as veteran Themba Zwane, played in Bafana Bafana’s last Afcon in Egypt in 2019.

Bafana then failed to qualify for the 2021 edition which was only played last year in Cameroon.

Williams says the players realise that a positive start in Ivory Coast is imperative.

“The main thing is to collect points, especially come next week in our opening game. It’s going to be a tough one. We saw their result over the weekend. They won 6-2, so it’s not going to be easy, but the main thing is to have control of your own destiny. Last time I remember us sitting and watching games from the other group and you don’t want that you know, it’s not a good feeling because you are not in control of your situation. So, the main thing I will take from that is control your own destiny.”

Bafana confident ahead of Afcon:

Williams says the players have gained a lot of confidence under the guidance of the 71-year-old Belgian, Hugo Broos, who did the unthinkable, winning the tournament with a second-string Cameroonian side seven years ago.

“I mean we’ve got the confidence because the coach has won it before. He knows what it takes to win the tournament. It’s going to be tough. It’s not going be easy, but we just need to believe that it is possible, go out there follow the instructions. I mean what we have built over the past two years, you know, it’s amazing. This is a special group and being part of this group is amazing, you know the work that we do day in day out, you can see it speaks volumes on the field now.”

Broos believes he has a balanced team that can cause upsets in the tournament. The team is a blend of youth and experience. Midfielders Zwane and Thabang Monare are the most experienced players in the squad.

“We know where we are going. We are not going to a friendly game. We are going to a big tournament. You can choose really all young players and before you play one game, you are already out because those guys do not have the experience. So, you need also to have a good mix and that’s why I chose Thabang,” says Broos.

Bafana Bafana plan to go beyond the quarter-finals: 

Although Zwane has previous Afcon experience, this will be the first tournament for the hard tackling 34-year-old Monare.

“I think we are all different individuals. I think we are different pieces to this to this puzzle. So, everyone learns from one another. So, I think that’s why we are all here because we bring a different piece to this beautiful puzzle, and with that everyone is learning from each other and I think it’s true we learn a lot from Sundowns. Sundowns … they do a lot of travelling and they play a lot outside the country, but everyone in this beautiful puzzle adds a different value of their own,” says Monare.

Midfielders Oswin Appollis and Jayden Adams are both 20-years-old and are the two youngest members of the Bafana Bafana squad.