EISH! Bafana Bafana have mountain to climb - again

With the odds already stacked against Bafana Bafana ahead of their crucial African Nations Championship (Chan) final Group A clash against Nigeria - a side they've never beaten in tournament football - captain and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was yesterday ruled out of tonight's encounter.

National team coach Gordon Igesund confirmed the team had suffered a blow when the captain injured his ankle on Wednesday in their 1-1 draw against Mali.

Igesund admitted this would hurt Bafana's chances of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the tournament .

Bafana need at least a draw at the Cape Town Stadium against the Super Eagles. Defeat would mean they would have to rely on Mozambique to bail them out with a shock win over Mali in the other group match at Athlone Stadium.

News that Khune could also miss the rest of the Chan - if Bafana progress - with a suspected torn ligament, threw Igesund's plans into disarray.

"He got a knock on his ankle in our last game. It is still quite tender, but not swollen and my medical team tells me he needs three to four days to recover.

"So, he is unfortunately out and won't play against Nigeria because his mobility is not good," Igesund said.

"Khune would have battled to get ready. I am not prepared to take a risk because if he aggravates the injury he could be out for eight weeks and we don't want that.

"We are still hoping to play in a quarterfinal, semifinal and final of this tournament."

Khune's unavailability is a major setback given Bafana's defensive frailties since the start of the competition a week ago. The central defence pairing of the experienced Thabo Nthethe, named captain in Khune's absence, and Buhle Mkhwanazi, who appears to be on a learning curve, has been where Bafana are most vulnerable even though they have only conceded two goals in two matches.

The forced change between the sticks, when Moeneeb Josephs replaces Khune, will leave SA's back four exposed. But Igesund gave the Bidvest Wits keeper the thumbs-up.

"Of course it's a worrying situation, but I've got two capable goalkeepers in Moeneeb and [Siyabonga] Mpontshane. For me, Moeneeb has looked sharper at training and is my choice. I will make a decision - I won't sit on the fence," said Igesund.

Josephs came into the tournament as Khune's back-up and is the automatic choice for Bafana in goal.

While he's made the No1 jersey at Bidvest Wits his own, the former Orlando Pirates player, who has 23 caps for the national team, last played for SA in a friendly against Mozambique at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit in September 2012, when Igesund took charge of only his second game as coach.

Bafana's fate tonight will be in their own hands. However, it might be a qualifying mountain to climb against Nigeria.

When Bafana last faced the Super Eagles, in August at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, Stephen Keshi outsmarted Igesund.

Nigeria were 2-0 winners, with their class evident against a South African side that never got going during that Nelson Mandela Challenge clash.

Although he later praised Igesund for being a "clever manager with players that can change the game", Keshi, the African coach of the year, had earlier boasted of his recent success against Bafana.

South Africa also twice failed to beat Nigeria in 2008, under coach Joel Santana, during the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. But Igesund dismissed the history books.

"That's not my record. As far as I am concerned I have only ever played against them once and lost once. My history is not so bad and I played my local team against their foreign-based players," the coach said.

Igesund added: "I know we only need a draw to qualify, but I am going for a win."

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Safa look set to announce US sports apparel company Nike as the Bafana kit sponsor.

The deal will cover the men's and women's national teams, and also the SA under-23 side, which will attempt to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

An insider described the deal as ''ground-breaking". It has apparently been finalised and now Safa president Danny Jordaan has to select a date for the official announcement of the new partnership.