Springbok captain Siya Kolisi visited the Bafana Bafana camp in Durban today to give his support as the South African senior men’s national team prepares for the first international friendly match against Panama on Friday night.
Donned in recently launched new Bafana Bafana jersey, Kolisi stood up and gave his football counterparts his support, adding that they must always stand tall and remember that they are ambassadors for the country every time they pull on the national team colours. Kolisi arrived at the Bafana Bafana hotel moments after the team had landed from Johannesburg ahead of their clash against Panama at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday.
Coach Hugo Broos said he hopes to see a rejuvenated Bafana Bafana when the South African senior men’s national team hosts Panama.
“The only thing I want to see (tomorrow) is the real Bafana Bafana, the Bafana Bafana team that we know from the past two years that gave us some great results and fantastic performances, qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), third place in the AFCON in Ivory Coast and qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” he said.
“We lost that a little bit three months ago in the AFCON in Morocco. I hope to see it again tomorrow, the team that plays with passion, the team that is determined when the players are out on the pitch, the team that plays football. This is something that I hope to see again tomorrow.”
Captain Ronwen Williams said Bafana Bafana will need to thread very carefully against the visitors as they make good use of the chances they create.
“We have analysed them, we have watched some video clips, and we have familiarised ourselves about them. They are a team we have to take seriously because they do not need a lot of chances to punish you, and that is what we saw in their last World Cup qualifier,” he said.
© SAFA