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 The players need more confidence, but I know we can go on and win things 

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“At the moment we're sitting in a difficult position – we've lost four points – but I honestly still believe we can qualify,” Igesund said on Thursday at The New Age business briefing in Sandton.

Igesund was appointed last week as a replacement for Pitso Mosimane after a string of poor results, including successive qualifying-round draws against Ethiopia and Botswana.

While he admitted the players had lost confidence in their ability to score goals, Igesund believed they could achieve the lofty targets set by the SA Football Association (Safa).

He was mandated by Safa to take the national team to the World Cup in Brazil, and to reach the semi-finals of next year's Africa Cup of Nations, to be hosted by South Africa.

“The players need more confidence, but I know we can go on and win things,” Igesund said.

“We need to bring African flair back into our game and play winning football. We also need national support. Bafana Bafana is an asset to South Africa and we all need to pull together.

“If we do these things we can be very successful. It will be a tough task, but we can do it.” Igesund believed the national team had plenty of potential, but needed to identify their strengths and use them to their advantage.

“We have skill and agility which a lot of other countries don't have. We need to identify our own style of football.”

Bafana played eight straight matches without a win, eventually breaking their drought with a 3-0 victory over Gabon, under interim coach Steve Komphela, in a friendly match in Nelspruit last month.

With Siyabonga Nomvethe recalled for their opening World Cup qualifiers, in an effort to find the back of the net, Igesund said another veteran striker, Benni McCarthy, could make a return to the national side.

“Benni McCarthy was outstanding for Orlando Pirates last season, and he scored important goals” Igesund said.

“The question is, will he reproduce that form? We need to pick players on form. I have no doubt that Benni will try very hard, and every player will be considered if they are in top form.”

Safa CEO Robin Petersen, meanwhile, said the governing body aimed to raise the standard of the game throughout the country.

They had set a target at a recent symposium to have all national teams – including women and age groups teams – ranked among the best on the continent.

“We need to be consistently in the top three in Africa and the top 20 in the world,” Petersen said.

“If we can do that, not only with Bafana Bafana, but with all our teams, we believe at Safa we will have done our job.”

Comments

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Sat May 25 07:17:12 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 12, 2012

Nkasegobotsesephirise

Sir we are positive.We will enter by default or by virtue we will.
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Jul 12, 2012

Stumaeza

Goodluck...
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Jul 12, 2012

Mapholobakay1

Here we go again...coaches becoming sangomas. Gordon, never make promises that you cant keep. That was Pitso downfall. Rather say, I will work hard to make sure that we qualify. At the moment we have 2 out of 6 and we are not even close.
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Jul 12, 2012

Chisampama

The guy is tactician.... i believe he will safe us frm this misery
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Jul 12, 2012

CoffeeBean79

I think Gordon should just keep his mouth shut about qualifying and just do it else these commets might back fire and get him fired.
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Jul 12, 2012

MyPot

Good luck....mxm
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Jul 12, 2012

Kagawa

Gordon You are talking too much lets wait for your first game it is just around the corner. No excuse home or away is the same the ball is still round.
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Jul 12, 2012

Manyobafella

You beginning to sound like Pitso....Talking too much~!
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Jul 13, 2012

Siya5297

Good luck Gordon I wish you all the best, what I know for sure now if we lose we will lose fighting on the pitch
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Jul 13, 2012

Kuch

There's hope
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