Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder Neo Maema will captain the Bafana Bafana side facing Egypt in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier at Free State Stadium on Sunday (17:00).

This gesture by Bafana management is particularly significant as Maema was born in the province and previously played at the same venue for Bloemfontein Celtic before joining Sundowns.

The squad will be coached by Bloemfontein native Molefi Ntseki, who was brought in as Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele focuses on the senior Bafana Bafana team’s two FIFA World Cup qualifying matches this month.

Maema expressed his gratitude for the captaincy and his excitement to lead the team in his hometown.

“I’m humbled to stand before you guys, before the coaches, and humbled by the responsibility they’ve given me to be the captain of our national team. We’ve been preparing very well in a very short time, but we are supporting each other in terms of how we need to approach the game,” he said.

“We also have to put ourselves in a good position in terms of playing at home in our country, making our fans very proud. So, it’s a team effort and we must also listen to our coaches to make sure that everything that they’ve told us, we grasp as quickly as possible so that we can be ready for tomorrow’s game.

“The mood is very high. We also have a lot of young players that are willing to listen. We know they are also there to listen to us. I’m happy to be the captain of our team and make sure that we represent the country very well.”

In addition to Maema, coach Ntseki will rely on Orlando Pirates’ Monnapule Saleng, who has fallen out of favor with his club and will not feature for them again this season.

Saleng likely watched his team’s defeat to Marumo Gallants at the same venue in Bloemfontein from his hotel on Saturday.

The team will return to Johannesburg on Monday, where they will remain in camp until their departure for Egypt on 6 March.