Soccer legends sing praises of Bafana

Soccer legends are singing praises for Bafana Bafana for making the country proud by reaching the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals for the first time in 24 years.

And while the whole country is now confident that Bafana will bring the trophy home, football icon Mark Williams says the support the national team is currently receiving is exactly what they needed to go this far in the tournament.

"I'm very happy as a South African that I was part of sending them off to the tournament. I felt that at least as a legend I supported the boys and that's all they needed to perform so well in the tournament. They needed to know that if we could do it, so can they and that's how you grow the team," he told Sowetan on Sunday.

Williams said it was time for SA to show how talented they are and said he was proud of how the team played.

Former Bafana player Mark Fish said he believes that Bafana Bafana will reach the finals and win the tournament if they continue to play the way they are currently playing.

"I do think that the team and the technical staff have been doing everything right since their opening loss to Mali. They learnt a lot from their loss and went on to draw with Tunisia, then beat Morocco and a Cape Verde team which is a difficult team to beat," he said.

"I believe everyone in the team has got a mission ... and that is to lift the trophy in Ivory Coast. I don't think Bafana needs to do anything to reach the finals because everything has been going according to plan and we've had fantastic performances. 

"It's a team effort and that will get them to the final and they can overcome any hurdle, and they deserve to get where they are," he said.

Another legend, Andrew Rabutla, echoed Fish's sentiments and said Bafana Bafana will not be stopped by any team on their way to the final.

"The way we started says a lot. Most teams who lose the first game find it easier to reach the final. We always have a lot of luck on our side. I remember in 1998, we also lost our first game but ended up in the final ... so that gives me hope that this team will do the same. I believe we will get to the final and win," he said.

Bafana Bafana will face Nigeria's Super Eagles  on Wednesday at 7pm.

magadlam@sowetan.co.za