Bafana have beating of Cape Verde
AFTER playing to a goalless draw with Nigeria in an international friendly on Wednesday night, minnows Cape Verde will arrive in South Africa today.
Cape Verde will make their debut in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals when they play Bafana Bafana in the opening match at National Stadium on January 19. Also in Group A are Angola and Morocco.
Highly-rated soccer academy coach Farouk Khan from South Africa, who watched the Cape Verde-Nigeria game, is confident the hosts will do well in the opening match.
“Watched Cape Verde against Nigeria, both teams looked average and I believe we [Bafana] have the beating of them,” Khan wrote on his Twitter page.
Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula has urged the South Africans to rally behind Bafana Bafana and the entire Afcon tournament.
“We may not have scored against Norway, but we remain confident Bafana Bafana will make us proud and emulate the Class of 1996 who won Afcon on home soil.”
Ivory Coast, whose star-studded team include Didier Drogba and Salamon Kalou, will arrive at OR Tambo International Airport on January 16 along with Ghana.
Ethiopia, making their return to the Afcon finals after 31 years, and the Democratic Republic of Congo arrive on January 18.
Zambia, Morocco, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Angola are some of the participating countries that have already arrived in South Africa.