Publications
Partners
Ahead of the opening Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Gambia, coach Shakes Mashaba’s only concern is the physical state of the Bafana Bafana players – and not his opposition.
With most players having last kicked the ball more than a month ago, when the Absa Premiership season ended on May 9, Mashaba said his players might be lacking match fitness.
The national coach is also aware that it might be difficult to get the players going, as most of the league seasons around the world were in recess.
“It is a very difficult time for all of us in that regard, and unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it. With the players enjoying a break, the body tends to switch off a little.
“But we believe our players are professional enough and know what is expected of them. We have sat down to work on a training programme that will get them back in full speed as soon as possible. I am confident that by match day they will give us what we want,” he said.
Mashaba said he would use the weeklong camp to get the squad in good condition ahead of the game.
Mashaba wanted his team to perform the way they did last year when they qualified for the 2015 Afcon finals without losing a game.
“We set ourselves high standards when we qualified for the last tournament with a match to spare, and we can’t go below that,” he noted.
Mashaba, however, conceded that it might not be as easy as it looked on paper.
Playing against 160th-ranked Gambia would not necessarily be easy, despite their gap in the Fifa rankings. Bafana had placed 69th in the latest ranking.
The bulk of the Bafana Bafana team consists of players who did duty in the Afcon in Equatorial Guinea earlier this year.
“We must progress where we left off in Guinea because I still insist that we did well there.
“We must improve our level of performance and I am confident we will do well,” he said.
Mashaba revealed he had no knowledge of his opponents.
“I don’t believe in spying, because what if they come with seven new players from the one you have seen? We must have our own plan and be prepared to fight,” he noted.
Mashaba also highlighted that there was no mandate from his employers on the qualifiers – but said it did not matter, as his goal was to go to the finals in Gabon in 2017.
. South Africa vs Gambia takes place on Saturday at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. Kickoff is at 3pm
