Motale confident of Bafana making it to the second round at Afcon

Former Bafana Bafana right back Edward “Magents” Motale believes the national team can progress to the second round at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast if they can get a good start against Mali in Korhogo on Tuesday. 

Motale, who was part of the iconic Bafana team which won the Afcon on home soil with the late Clive Barker in 1996, said the first game is always a good indicator of how the team might fare in a tournament. 

“I think we'll go to the next round. I've a strong belief that we'll get a point against Mali, we'll beat (Peter) Shalulile (Namibia) and then we'll go to the next round,” said Motale of Bafana's group E which is completed by Namibia and Tunisia.

“The balance of the team is fair because you have young and old players and they will complement each other with energy and experience. But Afcon is a big stage and if you didn't plan well, whether you have all the Maradonas and the Peles, it's going to be difficult for you.

“I just hope that the coach and his technical team have planned very well even though I know they didn't [hold] camp for a long time. I think they only had a two-week camp and in terms of weather or climate I'm not sure (if SA will cope).

“Fortunately, most of the games will be played at night but the country is very humid. But I think we've got a very formidable squad that can go through to the next round.”

Motale admitted it will be crucial how Bafana coach Hugo Broos manages his players, especially the Mamelodi Sundowns players who have already played a total of 40 games (in five competitions) in the first half of the 2023-2024 season.

“Fatigue can be crippling but it also depends on the training. If the training wasn't toned down, it was hard, then definitely fatigue will catch up with them.”

There was also a concern about the overall experience of Broos' squad, with Themba Zwane, Ronwen Williams and Percy Tau the only players remaining from the Bafana team that last appeared in an Afcon tournament in 2019 in Egypt where Bafana were knocked out by Nigeria in the last eight.

“I'm also worried in that (experience) department. Most of the players are newcomers (at Afcon) and that is a little bit of a problem because this is a new stage with all those big names there.

“To go into such a tournament you need to have mental strength. If you're not strong mentally you'll have a problem. Let's hope somebody within the structure is playing that part of the mental strength.”

The 2023 Afcon will kick off with hosts Ivory Coast playing Guinea-Bissau at 10pm (SA time) on Saturday.