Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund has revealed his plans ahead of the start of next year’s Caf Championship of Nations (Chan) tournament to be hosted in South Africa.
Igesund said his team would play four games - including a friendly against world champions Spain on November 19 - in which to finalise preparation for the continental competition.
“I only have three or four games between now and then to get the squad ready for the Chan tournament,” Igesund said at his squad announcement for the away friendly against Swaziland next Friday.
“We have a camp from the 27th to the 30th of December where I will be able to have a match.
“Between the 2nd and 9th of January, I will also have a match, so those are the games planned in preparation for the tournament, which is hugely important to us as a country.”
Igesund made it clear the squad he named on Monday was only for the Swaziland clash and confirmed he would name a second squad for the fixture against Spain on Thursday.
The former Moroka Swallows boss had earlier said he would name his strongest possible team for the clash against the 2010 Fifa World Cup winners.
Shifting his attention to the game in Mbabane, against bordering Swaziland, Igesund said the players would have to fight for their places as the year cane to and end and the Chan event was approaching.
“This is the first game we will play in preparation for the Chan tournament and its very important for us to get the rhythm going,” he said.
“These are some of the players who will play in that event. It is as very formidable team and we have a pool of about 38 players who are all fighting to make the final 23 players for the tournament.
“So is it is very exciting and the match against Swaziland will be a good test for us.”
The Chan tournament, established in 2007 and first contested in 2009, was administered by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and played among the 16 best national teams in Africa.
National teams had to qualify for the event and could only feature players active in their local leagues.
Players who played outside of their home country, regardless of where, even within Africa, did not qualify to take part in the competition.
Sapa