Senegal to arrive at full strength
SENEGAL are still expected to bring all their best players to take on Bafana later this month despite the Lions of Teranga firing their coach yesterday.
UNHAPPY AT AFCON: Senegal and Newcastle striker Demba BaI think most of the players will want to prove themselves to the new coach and that they can still do the job for the country
Amara Traore was sacked after Senegal, one of the pre-tournament favourites, failed to reach the play-offs of the Africa Cup of Nations, which draws to an end this weekend.
Safa CEO Robin Petersen said the new developments within the Senegal football federation were "unlikely to have any bearing" on the upcoming friendly international at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on February 29.
Traore was given the boot after the Lions' dismal showing at this year's Afcon tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Senegal played three matches - against Zambia, Equatorial Guinea and Libya - losing all by 2-1 margins to be booted out in the group stages of the tournament.
"It's football and these things happen. I doubt the friendly is in danger, and what happened (Traore being fired) is unlikely to have any bearing on the match," said Petersen. "In fact, I think most of the players will want to prove themselves to the new coach and that they can still do the job for the country."
Safa believes the opposition, ranked fifth in Africa and 43rd in the world, will field a strong team and will include players who took part in the Nations Cup.
Big-name stars, among them strikers Moussa Sow (Fenerbahce), Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba (Newcastle) are undoubtedly the men that South African football fans will want to see.
However, with Karim Sega and Aliou Cisse now in charge of the team, some key players could be left out if only to make a statement for the failures at the Afcon finals. The duo have been named as replacements for Traore and the rest of his technical team for the friendly against Bafana, but it is unclear whether they will stay on afterwards.
One player who is likely to be missing from the squad is Souleymane Diawara, the 33-year-old Marseille defender who hinted at retiring after the Nations Cup.
Senegal skipper Mamadou Niang is also in danger of losing his place in the team.
There was also criticism of some players - such as Ba - tweeting about missing club football while in camp with Senegal. They said they were eager to head back to their club teams. Ba, as well as striker partner Cisse, scored in their first game back for Newcastle United, the latter netting on debut while Ba got his 16th English Premier League goal.
HoiMash69
Those best players whom you are expecting will have an injury and not come to play Bafunny bafunny, cant blame them, I also would not want toReport Abuse
vuvu2020
why is bafana busy chasing Senegal they need to play Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe first before thinking out the boxReport Abuse
Mshonga
We should stick to our peers Swaziland, djibouti , seychelles.... and the likes..........win against them first then we can think about playing Senegal.Report Abuse
Bizzabo
MshongaI could not have said it better.
You forgot India, Lesotho, Thailand and Vietnam. Nx!
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guiliano
There is no need to bring a full squad Bafana will play for a draw.Report Abuse