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Football Africa Cup of Nations Bafana Bafana

Bafana A Step Closer To AFCON Qualification

  • October 14, 2024
  • 2 min read
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Bafana A Step Closer To AFCON Qualification

As Bafana Bafana inch closer to securing their place in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, coach Hugo Broos has one major concern: the pitch.

Bafana will face Congo in the return leg at Stade Alphonse Massamba-Débat in Brazzaville on Tuesday (18:00), aiming to qualify for their second consecutive AFCON finals.

They convincingly defeated Congo 5-0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday, a performance that was both exhilarating and visually pleasing for South African fans. Broos described it as one of the best he has seen since taking charge of Bafana in May 2021.

With a comfortable victory, Bafana moved up to second in Group K with seven points, level with Uganda after three matches. A win in the return leg would secure their qualification for the tournament in Morocco with two games to spare.

However, Broos’s concerns lie with the synthetic pitch, which his players are not accustomed to at club level. He expressed confidence in his team’s ability to adapt, citing their previous experience of playing on such a surface in their victory over South Sudan in the same AFCON qualifiers in September.

“My only concern is the condition of the pitch,” said Broos, who helped Bafana Bafana claim the AFCON bronze medal in Ivory Coast earlier this year.

“It’s a synthetic pitch, and we’ve had bad experiences with them in the past. If it’s not good, like in Rwanda (during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers), it’s unacceptable to play a World Cup qualifier on such a pitch.

“But let’s see first. If the pitch is similar to the one in South Sudan, we can’t complain. We can play good football. If the pitch is not good, it will be a more physical battle. We’ll adapt if necessary.

“Let’s hope the pitch is in good condition so we can play our usual style. Congo will be out for revenge after losing 5-0, so we need to be prepared for a tough match. If we can maintain our level and play with the same mentality, we have a great chance to win.”

After these two matches against Congo, Bafana’s next AFCON qualifying fixtures will be against Uganda away and South Sudan in South Africa in November.

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