12 Jul 2017

The Francistown Sports Complex will on Saturday host next door neighbours and foes, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in the first round of the 2018 African Nation Championships (CHAN) qualifying campaign.

The Zebras will host the South African national soccer team at Francistown in a match that will test the newly appointed Zebras coach, Major David Bright, popularly known around football circles as ‘Fakuda.’

Many soccer pundits have touted Major Bright, who will lead the senior team as coach on a three year contract, as a crucial factor to his side’s success on Saturday, thanks to his experience of having coached in South Africa.

The former Debswana First Division North (FDN) side Morupule Wanderers coach has previously coached Bay United, Cape Town Santos and Black Leopards in South Africa.

A few weeks back, a makeshift Bafana Bafana defeated Botswana 2-0 in the semi-finals of the plate competition at the COSAFA Castle Cup at Moruleng Stadium courtesy of Judas Moseamedi and Riyaad Norodien.

Maj. Bright will depend on some of the country’s talented pool of players to tackle their marauding nemesis.  

Players like Thero Setsile, Mosha Gaolaolwe, Simisane Mathumo and Kabelo Seakanyeng among others, will have to pull up their socks to make the local fans happy.

Seakanyeng has been a marvel to watch in previous games, and had a good game against Comoros and Zambia when he scored the only goal for the Zebras in the 1-2 loss to Chipolopolo at this year’s COSAFA.

South Africa’s coach, Stuart Baxter, also new on the job, will likely field Norodien, Bongani Ntuli, Lehlogonolo Masalesa, Gift Motupa and Teboho Mokoena among others to deliver him the results.

Baxter was quoted in some South African media as contemplating an overhaul of the squad that beat Botswana recently at COSAFA to give other youngsters a playing chance for the weekend encounter.

The South African squad released on Tuesday proved his statement to be correct as players like Mohau Mokate and Moseamedi and Nduduzo Sibaya did not make the weekend squad, but were there during the Zebras 2-0 loss to Bafana. 

Under the reign of former coach, Peter Butler, the senior national team gave Bafana Bafana a torrid time in a highly charged final played at Windhoek, Namibia, last year.  

Bafana beat the Zebras 3-2 in the final to clinch their fourth title and last year, the South Africans failed to qualify for the CHAN tournament, which was hosted by Rwanda.  

They were beaten 3-2 on aggregate by Palancas Negras of Angola, and at the time, they were under the Under-20 coach, Thabo Senong who was assisted by Helman Mkhelele.  The aggregate winner of the Zebras-Bafana clash will face either Sihlangu Semnikati of Swaziland or Zambia’s Chipolopolo in September in the final round of the qualifying campaign.

Kenya is the 2018 CHAN final hosts, slated between 11 January and 2 February, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are the defending champions. ENDS