Bafana still dazed with Stallions up for a gallop

Three days of interviews and training sessions later and we are yet to see a rallying cry, an inspired call to arms, from one Bafana Bafana player to redeem the South African jersey after two pathetic displays against Cape Verde and a desperate need to win back the public trust.

Perhaps like US President Donald Trump the Bafana players are living in a bubble, unaware of the hostile backlash to their perceived lack of care for what those defeats might have cost in any chance of a revival in South African football.

Any evidence of a rally was muted as South Africa trained this week for their now must-win 2018 World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Burkina Faso seemed to possess all the enthusiasm.

"This is it," Burkina Faso's former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore said about the match and his team's hopes of qualifying for their first World Cup in Russia next year.

"It's a dream for the whole country. For all of us," said Traore, who is now at Lyon in France's Ligue 1, at a Stallions practice session at their training base at Ellis Park.

"Burkina has never played in a World Cup. We were nearly there in 2014. Now we have another chance and we have to take it. If we qualify it will be a dream," he said.

At least Bafana Bafana looked a little cheerier in training at FNB Stadium yester-day after a subdued morning session on Tuesday that may or may not have been the result of a tongue-lashing from coach Stuart Baxter.

But Bafana left back Sifiso Hlanti's stock responses to reporters after training still inspired little confidence.

"I think the most important thing for us as players after what happened in the previous games is that Saturday's game is a must-win for us," Hlanti said.

"At the end of the day, whatever we do as players, it's something that we want as players.

"We need to be positive and redeem ourselves and the way to do that is to collect three points," he said.