Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has announced the squad to travel to Central America for two friendly international matches next month against Costa Rica onOctober 8 at Boltodano Bricenio Stadium in Liberia and Honduras at Metropolitano Stadium on October 13.
The Costa Rica match will kick off at 4am SA time on October 9 while the one in Honduras will kick off at midnight in South Africa. “This is the first time I will be leading this squad out of Africa and it is an exciting prospect. The main idea is to try and gauge our level of performance. Also I think it's a good experience for us to play teams ranked above us like Costa Rica because to continue improving our rankings, we must play and beat the best,” said Mashaba.
This will be Bafana's first ever meeting with Honduras while they have played Costa Rica once - in the Nelson Mandela Challenge clash in 2003 at Olen Park Stadium in Potchefstroom. South Africa won 2-1, courtesy of second half goals from Siyabonga Nomvete and Patrick Mayo.
That was also the last game Mashaba was in charge of the national team in his earlier stint.
“If you look back then at the Costa Rica team, you will see they had a very strong team and it was not a fluke that we beat them. It is good that we are playing them again and see how both teams have progressed so far. I know for a fact they are much better and stronger; they are no longer the same team that we beat then; so it will be tough. But I have confidence we will do well because our boys can also put up a very good fight,” said Mashaba.
“We will do our best to go there and get victories. We want to take the Senegal outcome forward and try to win all the games going forward. But we have to be realistic and acknowledge that along the line we will encounter turbulence - win some and lose some, but our intention is to win all our games.”
Bafana assemble for camp on October 4 in Johannesburg and depart for Central America the next day.
They return to South Africa on October 15 - two days later they face Angola in the first of four matches of the 2016 Chan as well as 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
The squad to play the Chan qualifiers will be announced in the next few days.
“I would like to appeal to the nation to rally behind the team. We know that sometimes it hurts to lose but we are rectifying that and bring positive results,” concluded the Bafana Bafana mentor.
Bafana squad: Goalkeepers: Jackson Mabokgwane (Mpumalanga Aces FC), Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United). Defenders: Eric Mathoho (Kaizer Chiefs), Rivaldo Coetzee (Ajax Cape Town), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Bidvest Wits), Siyabonga Nhlapo (Bidvest Wits), Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk), Mzikayise Mashaba (Mamelodi Sundowns), Clayton Daniels (SuperSport United), Thabo Matlaba (Orlando Pirates). Midfielders: Dean Furman (SuperSport United), Andile Jali (KV Oostende), Bongani Zungu (Sundowns), Mandla Masango (Randers FC), Jabulani Shongwe (Bidvest Wits), Mpho Makola (Orlando Pirates), Ayanda Patosi (Lokeren), George Lebese (Kaizer Chiefs), Oupa Manyisa (Orlando Pirates). Strikers: Thulani Serero (Ajax Amsterdam), Thamsanqa Gabuza (Orlando Pirates), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Bidvest Wits), Tokelo Rantie (Bournemouth), Prince Nxumalo (Ajax Cape Town) - ANA