Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has praised coach Hugo Broos for creating a united team as they prepare for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.
According to Ronwen Williams, there is no sense of inferiority despite Bafana’s lack of experience at AFCON in recent years.
Bafana’s lack of experience is due to their failure to qualify for Africa’s continental showpiece in Cameroon last year, which denied them the chance to build on their performance in the 2019 tournament.
Only three members of the 2019 Bafana Bafana squad remain in the 23-man squad selected for the upcoming international friendlies against Eswatini and Ivory Coast.
The players are captain Williams, Lebo Mothiba and Themba Zwane, who were also formed part of the squad that suffered defeat to Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Bafana will take on Eswatini at FNB Stadium on Friday before jetting off to Ivory Coast for the second friendly match.
WILLIAMS SAYS BROOS TEAM HAS STRONG TEAM SPIRIT
“The most important is the spirit amongst the team,” said Williams. “Everyone feels part of the team, no one feels smaller than the next one, and we are all in the different stages of our careers. But once we are together in camp, we are one big happy family, and you can see it on the field.
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“We go out there, and we want to die for one another. That’s why we had positive results like the one we had against Morocco [in the AFCON qualifiers in June].
“When everything is against us, we keep fighting because we believe in each other. As I said, the spirit amongst the group is amazing, and it is probably the best that I have been part of, and the coach always emphasises the importance of the spirit.”
Bafana are on a nine-match unbeaten run under Broos. Williams credits the team’s unity for their success “Since the coach has taken over, it has been amazing,” added Williams. “There have been a lot of new faces, a lot of familiar faces as well. But once we are together, we are one big happy family.”