Safa boss Jordaan on Bafana's 2023 Afcon qualification: 'There's no what if'

22 April 2022 - 13:21
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Safa president Danny Jordaan (L) shares a funny moment with former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe (C) and SuperSport anchor Thomas Mlambo (R) during the draw for the 2023 Afcon qualifiers at SuperSport Studios in Johannesburg on April 19 2022.
Safa president Danny Jordaan (L) shares a funny moment with former Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe (C) and SuperSport anchor Thomas Mlambo (R) during the draw for the 2023 Afcon qualifiers at SuperSport Studios in Johannesburg on April 19 2022.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

SA Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan says the organisation will give Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos all the support he needs to prepare the team for the qualifying campaign of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) which starts next month.

Bafana were pitted against World Cup-bound Morocco, neighbours Zimbabwe and Libya in a tricky group L during the draw in Johannesburg this week.

“I think it is going to be a competitive qualification campaign and if you look across all the groups there are two or three teams that will compete,” said Jordaan.

“In our own group we are satisfied, but the team is going to have to work hard.”

Bafana failed to qualify for the 2021 Afcon tournament and while that mandate fell under his predecessor Molefi Ntseki, qualification for the 2023 edition in the Ivory Coast is Broos’ immediate directive.

While the Belgian coach showed his mettle and was hardly blamed as Bafana narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification in dubious circumstances in the Cape Coast in Ghana earlier this year, the 2023 Afcon has always been Broos’ first mandate, but Jordaan would not be drawn on "what ifs".

“No, you can’t want to qualify and also what if. There’s no what if. We wish the coach and the team all the best and we are going to give them all the support they need.

“Broos showed what he can do during the World Cup qualifiers and the ball is in his court. We have a good chance to qualify.

“The team played well during the Word Cup qualifiers. We were top of the group and then disaster happened in the Cape Coast. They must now regroup and go again.”

Jordaan said Broos and his technical team will have put their brains together to map a way forward for a successful Afcon qualifying campaign.

“It’s up to the coach. Whatever he requires we will be there to support him and the team. We can only give our support.

“It is the coaches and the players who must come with the plans and make sure we get the results.

“I’m sure they have their plans in place. The first two matches are coming up at the end of May and mid June and we’ll see.”

The group stage qualifiers stage kick-off between May 30 and June 14.

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