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Safa defends the low-key launch of the new Bafana Bafana kit as the criticism continues

A spanking new Bafana Bafana kit will be unveiled to the public on Monday ahead of the national team's two international friendlies to be played in Rustenburg in the coming days.
A spanking new Bafana Bafana kit will be unveiled to the public on Monday ahead of the national team's two international friendlies to be played in Rustenburg in the coming days.
Image: safa/twitter

The South African Football Association (Safa) has defended this week's much criticised  low-key launch of the new Bafana Bafana kit and claimed that the event could not be given a more polished sparkle as they were determined to adhere to the Covid-19 health protocols.

Safa have signed a new five-year deal with French apparel company Le Coq Sportif and they replaced long-time technical sponsors Nike.

 Many South Africans furiously registered their unhappiness with the quality of the video that was posted on social media to introduce the new kit  on Monday, but acting Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe insisted that a polished production did take place at the SABC’s Sport@10 programme later in the day.

 Motlanthe said they did everything possible under Covid-19 guidelines in a bid to present the new jersey to the public in a dignified manner.

 “We had the launch on Monday but we do understand that we couldn’t accommodate everyone (at the launch) because of the protocols associated with Covid-19.

 “As Safa we’re happy with everything regarding the new kit and above it all, we hope it will help galvanise all our  national teams to produce great results on the field of play,” Motlanthe said.

 Bafana are expected to don the jersey for the first time on Thursday when they play Namibia, and on Sunday when they take on Zambia. The two international friendlies are part of coach Molefi Ntseki’s team preparation for the resumption of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.

 Bafana will play the islanders Sao Tome & Principe in back-to-back matches on November 9-17.

 In a statement sent out by Safa on Tuesday morning, which strangely didn’t have anyone from the mother body commenting on the launch the previous night, it was stated that the jersey is already available on pre-order  at www.lecogsportif.co.za.

It will retail at R799 and will be sold across the country at the company's stores from Thursday.