Teboho Mokoena, the crown in the Bafana Bafana jewel, has urged the team not to get lost in the euphoria created by the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification ahead of Tomorrow’s showdown against South Sudan in Cape Town.
Tomorrow's Group K qualifier against South Sudan in Cape Town has been reduced to a ceremonial affair since both team's Afcon fates have already been decided. It was also the case with Friday’s dead-rubber clash in Kampala, where the teams were left to play for pride after Afcon qualification 24 hours earlier (Thursday).
Last Thursday’s Group K clash at the Juba Stadium saw hosts South Sudan cause a monumental upset to defeat former Afcon champions Congo Brazzaville 3-2. That left Uganda (12 points) and South Africa (eight points) in unassailable positions at the top of the Group K log. Uganda and South Africa secured qualification with two rounds remaining while South Sudan and Congo joined the growing list of Afcon qualification also-rans.
The Afcon guardians, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have taken some flak for not scheduling the last two rounds of group matches on the same days. As it turned out, the Kampala clash was devoid of tension and excitement and Uganda lost their unbeaten record.
Yesterday Mokoena told the media in Cape Town why it was important for Bafana (world-ranked 60th) to target a win against South Sudan (172nd) at the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point.
“If you win the group, you get a favourable draw at Afcon,” said the midfielder Mokoena. “A favourable draw ensures you play lower-ranked teams in the group stage. In Ivory Coast, we played strong teams like Tunisia and Mali. They have higher world rankings.
“Another win will improve our African and world rankings.”
Mokoena said he was hoping that Cape Town Stadium would be packed to capacity because the team has been thriving on the support of fans in the past few months. On a few occasions this year, Bafana have surprisingly played in front of capacity crowds.
“There are times when players start to tire late in the match but then you hear the fans singing or cheering. That helps you stay in the match and keep fighting,” said Mokoena.
“You have seen how well we've done late in some matches. The crowds give you energy and help players to lift their game.”
Cape Town has underwhelmed as a Bafana host in the past and SAFA have been reluctant to fixture the team in the Mother City. Bafana last played here in mid-2015 when they beat Angola in an international friendly.
Thanks to the efforts of Bennett Bailey, SAFA Cape Town president and SAFA vice president, it is likely that at least 30,000 fans will make their way through the turnstiles.
“Now is the time. We've landed it,” said Bennett. “We missed out on the Morocco game, the Nigeria game, the Congo game, and some Banyana Banyana matches. It was a challenge, especially for our members, to understand.
“We managed to bring together the provincial government, the city and SAFA national to push for this. It's now our responsibility to make it work. This is about making a mark.
“As we say on the Cape Flats, put your money where your mouth is - there’s nothing else to discuss except this game.”
Bafana coach Hugo Broos says the team are now looking to wrap up their Afcon qualifying campaign on a high note by defeating the visiting South Sudanese on tomorrow (start 6pm).