Notoane unhappy with training venue as U-23s have backs to wall in Congo

South Africa Under-23 coach David Notoane was unhappy with some apparent gamesmanship that saw his team shorten their training session in Brazzaville on Saturday ahead of Monday’s U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying second leg game against Congo. 

Notoane said his side “could not have access” to train on the artificial surface of the match venue at Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat on Saturday. He said South Africa had to travel further to an alternate venue, which did not have lights, meaning they only had a 45-minute session. 

The coach said he was “not complaining” and South Africa had a full session on Sunday. 

Such gamesmanship is common in African senior and junior qualifiers and only reinforces why SA needed a better result than their 1-1 draw in the first leg at Dobsonville Stadium on Thursday that has left Notoane’s team with their backs to the wall in the away leg of the third-round qualifier. The winners of the tie reach the U-23 Nations Cup on Morocco in June and July. 

“Our travel plans worked well. We arrived mid-morning on Friday and then the team got to rest — the flight wasn’t bad in terms of travel time,” the coach said on Sunday. 

“The accommodation is fantastic so one must compliment the embassy and federation (Safa). 

“We had our first session yesterday [Saturday]. Unfortunately, we couldn’t access the main stadium as per the rules, where we are allowed two days’ training on the AstroTurf or they can organise an alternative. 

“We got an alternative training venue that was below standard, but we managed 45 minutes of training. 

“We didn’t have a longer session because we travelled longer to that venue and there were no lights there. We trained at 5pm and it got dark. Hence I wasn’t too happy with the venue. 

“[But] the boys are looking sharp and refreshed, so I was happy with that. Today [Sunday] we’re wrapping up our preparations and I think the boys are up to the fight. 

“We’ve done a lot of video analysis in terms of an improvement — their strengths and our weaknesses. You can see clearly from the analysis we had a lot of positive moments but our decision-making let us down in the final third. 

“We were worthy of a goal or two, or even three, more. And of course with our defensive blunders Congo could have easily scored more than one. 

“We have to take the game to them. It’s a matter of our final-third box entries and convert the chances with better decision-making.” 

Notoane feels the 5pm kickoff (6pm SA time) can suit his team. 

“It’s a bit cooler then so we have to play with intensity, make sure we score an early goal to push the tie open. 

“I’m confident, based on the quality we have and football we’re able to play, if we just fine-tune our mistakes.  

“Congo are effective on transition if we lose the ball, so we have to work on our rest defence and organisation so we don’t allow them time to come out. If we can dominate that phase we should be good enough to get a result that allows us to progress. 

“My target is we score two goals because that should give us an advantage.” 

SA need a win or draw by a scoreline higher than 1-1 to progress. 

The top three finishers in the eight-team U-23 Nations Cup qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and the fourth-placed side enters and Africa-Asia playoff. 

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