Bafana
Bafana have departed for Zambia to play in the 2013 edition of the COSAFA Cup.
South
Africa left on Wednesday afternoon (10 July 2013) without two players –
Mzikayise Mashaba and Bevan Fransman.
Mashaba
had a problem with his passport which was declined by Home Affairs at the
airport and was unable to board. But the matter has since been sorted out and
he will be on the 19h00 flight to Zambia tonight. He is expected to land just
after 21h00.
Fransman
will only join his compatriots on Monday, 15 July as he will be playing for his
club Supersport United on Sunday (14 July) against Manchester City at Loftus
Versfeld in a pre-season warm up match.
Head
coach Gordon Igesund is travelling with 18 players.
“I
have confidence in these players, they are a talented bunch and this is an
opportunity for them to show what they are capable of and I'm hoping that happens.
We will be very competitive, and the players will go in there with a lot of
passion and commitment. We are very positive about the task ahead,” said
Igesund.
“We
spent a year trying to get an identity for Bafana Bafana, and we are almost
there. The regular players are programmed to behave in a certain way on the
field, whereas the players that we are travelling with are new to the system
and we can’t get it right in just two days. We have a good game plan, we know
our opposition but it’s going to be difficult to perform as a team as the
players will be coming together for the first time. But we will do well.
The
Bafana Bafana mentor believes that participation in the COSAFA Cup needs to be
treated in a different way in future.
“What
is clear is that this exercise has taught us that we need to sit with all the
stakeholders to discuss this tournament in detail so we are well represented in
future. Unfortunately this event comes on a non-FIFA calendar date, but there
is a serious need to ensure that our participation becomes a fruitful one,
rather than put together a group of players to go and play. Clubs have been
very helpful in providing us with players and we really appreciate that taking
into consideration that this is also a difficult period for them. Pre-season is
the most important time for any club,” said the head coach.
Bafana
Bafana will be captained goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands at the COSAFA Cup, who will
be making his debut with the armband.
“It’s
a great honour for me and would like to thank the coach for the faith he has
shown in me, and I would also like to thank God for allowing me this chance to
be here and lead this team. It’s the first time for me being in this position
even though I have captained my club on numerous occasions but I am really
looking forward to the challenge. We have a lot of new faces but there are no
excuses, we will be representing our country and we just have to do our best,”
said Sandilands.
The
Mamelodi Sundowns’ number one believes they can do well in Zambia despite the
challenges they faced before departure.
“As
players when you represent your country you have to be the face of the national
team, be the ambassador and the guys don’t need that much motivation. We just
need to bond and unify quickly so we can do the business on the field, because
there is not a lot of time. We just need to remind the guys of the importance
of being here and the opportunity that we have. This is a chance for many
players to show the coach they want to be part of the team going forward, so we
need to have the right frame of mind,” concluded Sandilands.
- SAFA
