On Bafana Bafana preparing for friendlies after a successful AFCON
Heading to this weekend’s international matches [against Andorra and Algeria] after a successful Africa Cup of Nations tournament, I can always assume that the guys are on cloud nine. And deservedly so. In Ivory Coast we lost in the semifinals against a worldclass Nigerian side, where I thought we were the better team. There is nothing but confidence in the camp heading to this weekend’s matches. And the guys are also looking forward to meeting up again, so that they can re-live the spirit, camaraderie and that feeling of success again from the AFCON. Let me explain what I mean when I say winning – I understand you don’t celebrate when you finish third in a tournament, you only celebrate when you win a cup. This was one of the best AFCONS in a while and being one of the teams that entertained, the tournament was a win for us in so many ways. What impressed me the most is that there were few individual performances that stood out for me. Most guys rose to the occasion and had a good tournament.
For example, Grant Kekana showed us what he can do when given an opportunity. I was proud of his performance because he showed people what he is capable of doing. I also feel that Ronwen Williams is more and more appreciated by people and that’s what happens when the national team does well – as a player you become the country’s pride. And that doesn’t come easy. Teboho Mokoena was also outstanding. Evidence Makgopa’s performance deserved more than just one goal and if he had his name on the scoring sheet more than just once, he would be talking to European teams right now. But it’s never too late, he is still a young boy. So, for me it’s the individual performances that stood out. For Themba Zwane, AFCON was a cherry on top of his career. It’s one thing to play well for your team and win the CAF Champions League, but when you go on a world stage and put out performance like that that’s a cherry on top. I’m happy for the individuals who had an outstanding tournament. In the same breath the coach, Hugo Broos, has made our team play as a unit. They played as a team. We didn’t have a lot of depth and for a while Broos had a lot of doubters. And I was one of the people who questioned his abilities as a coach. And now we have to put our hands up, especially the media and other people who were starting to doubt him as a coach. I never voiced my doubts but deep down inside I was always asking myself: ‘Does this coach actually know what he is doing?’ And then he answered the entire country by doing well at AFCON and winning a bronze. He’s been another factor that made me realise that this coach knows what he is doing.
On Ronwen Williams contribution to the national team…
Ronwen has been at the peak of his career for a while now, he has been producing quality performances at SuperSport United and now Mamelodi Sundowns. The tournament in Cote d’Ivoire has actually made people realise that he is that good. We saw his quality when we lost 5-0 to France, when it could have been 15-0. I saw him that day that he is a great goalkeeper. Even though we lost 5-0 to France, his performance made me realise that we have a good goalkeeper. France could have easily smacked us dizzy in that game. The saves that he made against Nigeria and the penalty shootout heroics, that just illuminates the quality of the man. So, I don’t judge Ronwen on just penalty saves only, we judge him on his footwork when he comes off the line, his shot-stopping, his communication skills; there is so much that he brings to this national team. He is our best goalkeeper right now, there is no doubt about that.
On what Bafana needs to do to improve
As good as we were at the Afcon tournament, I still believe that we need more solutions off the bench to be a better team. If I was still playing professional football, my focus would be to do well for my club so that I can get selected and help the national team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There is still space on the bench, we have so many guys who can fight for spots on the bench. We need more solutions coming off the bench, people with equal quality. There are lots of players who are good at club level and then we assume that they can make it in the national team level and only to fall short. If, as a player, you are not raising your hand and giving that performance that will grab the attention of the national team coach, that is on you.
If there is anything we have learned from Broos is that you don’t have to play for Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns to make it into the national team. Back in the day, when you played for bigger teams, that gave you an edge over other players. But now if you have a good performance at your team – the coach will have a look at you. In this current squad we have Khanyisa Mayo from Cape Town City. He is amongst the leading goalscorers because he can score goals. And I’m sure that the coach has been following his progress. We have Evidence Makgopa and Zakhele Lepasa, who came off the bench. Lyle Foster and Lebo Mothiba were not available at AFCON. And if those two strikers are not available, Bafana Bafana need to find solutions and I’m sure that the coach wants to use these two friendlies and see who can come to the party and who is playing well.
These matches [against Andorra and Algeria] are a perfect opportunity to Khanyisa because he has done well for his club. He has been scoring goals and his inclusion in the national team is a fair selection and he deserves it. It’s up to him now to make sure that he stays there. The situation right now, we are fighting for a place at the FIFA World Cup and whoever gets called up wants to cement a place in the national team. The players who are there need to play and stay.
Look at a player like Nkosinathi Sibisi, he is not playing for his club Orlando Pirates regularly. And when he gets called up, he needs to go to that camp, train and if given an opportunity do what you can because he has proven that he can play at that level. Guys like him need to cement their place in the team.
The bigger picture is qualifying for the next World Cup. There is so much at stake right now and at international level there is no such thing as a friendly match. The minute you put on that jersey you are representing more that 50 million people. There is nothing friendly about representing 50 million people. When you stand there and singing the national anthem – that is the sign that you have reached the highest level in football.
Stanton Fredericks
Former Bafana Bafana player
