Former Bafana Bafana winger Siphiwe Tshabalala has said he is confident in the current squad’s potential and has urged supporters to believe in head coach Hugo Broos.
Siphiwe Tshabalala, who was capped over 90 times by Bafana, believes the national team has the talent to be successful.
The Kaizer Chiefs legend also praised Broos for his work with the team so far.
The 39-year-old knows what it takes to represent Bafana. He featured in three AFCON tournaments, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he scored an iconic stunner in the opening game against Mexico at FNB Stadium.
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“We should give them a chance; everyone deserves a chance. I mean, I’m sure even when I was called up for the first time, nobody believed in me, nobody gave me a chance, but the coach [at the time] gave me a chance,” said Tshabalala.
“We’ve got good players that are doing well, and I believe we need to give the coach a chance, give him space to do his work. He knows what he’s doing, and players as well. They must fight for him, fight for the country. There’s a lot at stake.
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“When you play for the national team, you don’t represent only your team or family. You are an ambassador for the country. It’s vital that you perform and do your best all the time.
“So far, we’re heading in the right direction, slow strides, but I see progress.” Siphiwe Tshabalala added: “For us to get there, we need to rally behind them. They must also show consistency as well, as we go to a tournament where the best players will be playing there. Every footballer dreams of representing their country and going to AFCON.
“It’s one of the biggest tournaments in the world and the number one on the continent. So it’s important to support them and respect coaches selection and the players called upon.”
Bafana are in Group E in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Tunisia, Mali and neighbours Namibia. The tournament is set to start next year in January in Ivory Coast. But before that, South Africa will take on Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers on Saturday afternoon (18 November 2023).
Afterwards, they will travel to East-Central Africa to face Rwanda on Tuesday, 21 November 2023.