South Africa will be preparing for friendly matches against Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo on 9 and 12 September respectively. Coach Hugo Broos recently revealed his preliminary squad for these matches.
The September call-up is a crucial step for Bafana Bafana as they prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire in January. The coach has drawn up a preliminary list of 36 players, pending the final selection of 23 names, which will be announced next week. Of the players selected, 8 play abroad: Luke le Roux (Varbergs Bois FC, Sweden), Njabulo Blom (Saint-Louis FC, USA), Sphephelo Sithole (C.D Tondela, Portugal), Mihlali Mayambela (Aris Limassol FC, Cyprus), Kobamelo Kodisang (Moreirense FC, Portugal), Percy Tau (Al Ahly SC, Egypt), Lyle Foster (Burnley FC, England) and Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg FC, France). Should Mothiba make the final squad, it would mark a landmark return for the Alsatian player, who has been plagued by injury and last appeared in November 2019. A first-team regular again at Racing, Mothiba has already scored once in Ligue 1 this season.
The Ivorian Challenge in October!
In addition to matches against Namibia and the DRC this month, Bafana Bafana will also take on Eswatini and then Côte d'Ivoire in October. These new friendlies, against potentially affordable opponents as well as a heavyweight in African football, will help to fine-tune the preparations of the team led by Hugo Broos ahead of the African Cup of Nations. With only a few months to go, South Africa's footballers are hoping to rekindle the enthusiasm of an entire nation that has been waiting for a victory since 1996, the year the country hosted the tournament. After a 27-year wait, South Africa's fervent fans deserve another chance to win the precious gold medal. The South African players were absent from the last edition and were eliminated in the quarter-finals when they last took part in 2019. A new page is being turned, full of promise and ambition.
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