Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba says he is confident where his team are headed despite the setback of losing to Mauritania which has put huge pressure on them qualiyfing for the African Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2017.
In an interview with Safa Media, Mashaba admitted he would be the first to put up his hand and say the team did not play well against Mauritania but gave some reasons why they slumped to defeat.
“Though we didn't play well I also think some of the criticism went beyond fairness and was a bit personal. But, it also showed me how people of South Africa are passionate about their sport and in particular Bafana Bafana. It is out of national pride that people have expressed their views.
“I understand that the game of football is all about winning, losing and drawing. I have been through a lot during my playing and coaching career. I have lived this game for my entire life, so yes, while some criticism hurt, I always pride myself in the fact that I put all for my country, the team and all those who love this team.”
When questioned about playing on synthetic pitch and its affect on the final outcome Mashaba said: “We have travelled and played across Africa on numerous occasions, played on synthetic and grass pitches with great success.
“In fact, the harsh reality on the continent is that it is 50/50 regarding grass and artificial pitches, so talk that we didn't do our homework is far-fetched. We were just outgunned on the day and we are not happy with our overall performance on the day. Everything just didn't go well for the team and it hurts.
“We conceded a bizarre goal very early in the game, a goal which would not beat Itumeleng Khune in a million attempts. But that is football for you. Check around the globe and you will see that errors are part of this game.
“After a pep talk in the second half, I was confident to turn things around but minutes into the second half, we got a red card and that really threw us into a spin. Much as we tried, playing with 10 men, away from home against a rejuvenated home team, we were always going to chase the game.
Mashaba said that injuries did not help against Mauritania.
”We had three defenders all suffering niggling injuries in the second half - Eric Mathoho (shoulder), Rivaldo Coetzee (ankle) and Anele Ngcongca (mild concussion) - and because we had already used all three substitutions, we couldn't take them off.
“The heat didn't help matters as well, but, most importantly, we offer no excuses and we understand that we should have done much better. This will be addressed decisively in the remaining matches.”
Discussing Bafana Bafana's improvement against Senegal in the Nelson Mandela Challenge a few days after the Mauritania defeat Mashaba said: “We showed against Senegal that when our backs are against the wall we can dish as much as we can get. We have beaten some of the best teams and qualified for the 2015 Afcon unbeaten.
“We do lots of homework on the opposition and make use of the modern technology as dictated by modern trends. There is a lot of work put into the entire system such as checking the well-being of the player, his suitability within the set-up, dedication to the team, discipline and match fitness.
“We are headed into a busy fixture programme which starts next month with two away friendly matches in Costa Rica and Honduras before playing Angola home and way in Chan and World Cup 2018 qualifiers.
“I am confident of where we are headed and think that we are entering a defining period in our campaign on all three fronts.” - African News Agency (ANA).