2 October 2013
Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund has announced a 23-man squad that includes five uncapped players for an international friendly against Morocco at the Agadir New Stadium in Agadir City, Morocco on 11 October.
With an average age of only 24, it is a young line-up. The squad is also an almost even mix of PSL-based and overseas-based players, with 12 of the players plying their trade in South Africa and 11 abroad.
The five uncapped players are goalkeeper Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), defender Kgosi Ntlhe (Peterborough FC), midfielders, Sibusiso Vilakazi (Bidvest Wits), Ayanda Patosi (Lokeren FC) and Keagan Dolly (Ajax Cape Town FC).
“When Morocco invited us to play at the new stadium, we jumped at the opportunity because of the fact that between now and the 2015 Afcon qualifiers there are only two Fifa calendar dates to prepare for those qualifiers,” Igesund said at the announcement of the squad at Safa House in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
“So this gives me a great opportunity to have a look at some players, and had we not taken this opportunity we would have had to wait for March 2014 to prepare for our first 2015 Afcon qualifier in September.
“Half of the team I selected will represent us in the CHAN (African Nations Championships) while the other will feature in the qualfiers, so it’s a two-pronged approach,” said Igesund.
Assessing the challenge awaiting Bafana Bafana, he added: “We are playing a very formidable team, and you know North African teams are strong and will give us a stern test.
“This is a very serious match for both sides and there is some rivalry in that in our last match we drew 2-2 in the Afcon earlier this year – a match that was voted the best of the Afcon tournament.”
Igesund has not picked any Orlando Pirates players as they will be playing in the semi-final of the Caf Champions League in Tunisia a few days after Bafana Bafana’s return from Morocco.
“We seriously had to sit down and look at the Pirates’ situation. We need to support them in this campaign, hence I decided to leave their players out as we don’t want to jeopardise their preparations in any way,” Igesund explained.
“Next year it will be Kaizer Chiefs, the following year it could be Ajax Cape Town, or Moroka Swallows or Maritzburg United or any other team and we will do exactly the same thing.
“We hope Pirates will be successful. Their accomplishment will rub off on the national team as it did in 1995 when they won the continental title and Bafana Bafana lifted the Afcon trophy the following year.”
South Africa and Morocco have played only four times previously, with South Africa winning twice and the two most recent matches, in 2004 and 2013, being drawn.
BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Darren Keet (KV Kortrijk, Belgium)
Defenders: Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk, Belgium), Thabo Nthethe (Bloemfontein Celtic), Bongani Khumalo (Doncaster Rovers, England), Tsepo Masilela (Kaizer Chiefs), Buhle Mkhwanazi (University of Pretoria), Siyanda Xulu (FC Rostov, Russia), Khosi Ntlhe (Peterborough, England)
Midfielders: Kamohelo Mokotjo (PEC Zwolle, The Netherlands), Bongani Zungu (Mamelodi Sundowns), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Bidvest Wits), Ayanda Patosi (Lokeren, Belgium), Daylon Claasen (Lech Poznan, Poland), Keagan Dolly (Ajax Cape Town), Dean Furman (Doncaster Rovers, England), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Crystal Palace, England), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Lerato Chabangu (Moroka Swallows)
Strikers: Tokelo Rantie (Bournemouth, England), Kermit Erasmus (Orlando Pirates), Bernard Parker (Kaizer Chiefs)
SAinfo reporter and South African Football Association
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