Monare vows to repay Broos’s faith in him at Afcon

While Thabang Monare’s inclusion in the Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast caught many by surprise, this was not the case for the midfielder who vowed to repay the faith shown in him by coach Hugo Broos.

Monare, 34, last played for Orlando Pirates on November 11 against Kaizer Chiefs, and he insists he is ready to help Bafana in the Afcon.

“I was not surprised because in the first 44 players I was mentioned, and I was obviously looking forward to standing up for my country,” Monare said. “I was ready and I was willing to be here and represent my country.

“It was a concern that I have not played since November, but you face reality and how the game is. If I’m out for certain reasons, then that does not really put me out.

“I really kept the faith and understood how the game works and always be mentally prepared physically to be there and give my all when I called up.”

The midfield workhorse has faced uncertainty at the Buccaneers in the past but came back strong. He explained what has kept him going after facing difficulties in the past.

“Being true to the game, I mean, there are a lot of things that are going on within the game, but with me, it’s all about my passion for the game,” he said.

“No matter what happens, I will still stand strong and I will still come back and fight. That’s the mentality I have. At the end of the day, it is all about hard work. It can never go unnoticed for a very long time.”

Bafana will fly to Ivory Coast this morning, where they will open their campaign against Mali on Tuesday before facing Namibia on January 21 and conclude their group matches with Tunisia three days later.

“We’ve been training well and we believe in what we are doing. We are buying into whatever the coach has placed there. We believe, and it looks good  and competitive at training.”