DURBAN – Seasoned goalkeeper Ronwen Williams has vowed to give his best for SuperSport United as he attempts to represent South Africa at three major international tournaments in a space of 18 months.
On Tuesday, Caf announced that the next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has been postponed to 2022.
The showpiece was due to take place in January next year in Cameroon but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has halted the qualifiers for the tournament, Caf were compelled to reschedule.
Bafana are in the same qualifying group as Ghana, Sudan and Sao Tome and Principe. After two games, they have picked up three points, beating Sudan and losing to Ghana.
The postponement of the Afcon means the tournament will be played in the same year as the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, and that is something Bafana goal-minder Williams relishes.
“Playing the Afcon and the World Cup is going to take so much effort,” Williams said yesterday.
“The most important thing for us is to qualify. Qualifying for these tournaments is hard work. It is more difficult qualifying than being at the actual tournament. I would love to be at both the Afcon and the World Cup.”
Williams is the reigning Absa Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season. He has made the Bafana Bafana number one jersey his own in the absence of Itumeleng Khune. The 28-year-old performed well in the last Afcon held in Egypt.
The new SuperSport skipper was also drafted into the South Africa Under-23 Olympic squad as one of their three over-23 picks. The Tokyo Games have also been postponed until next year.
“That is something for me to look forward to,” Williams continued.
“The hard work starts now. I need to show and prove that I’m still the best. I want to be part of all these major tournaments. That’s where you can challenge yourself against the best across the world.
"I hope to continue with my good form and get selected for the national team and play at these tournaments,” Williams concluded.
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