Bafana have accumulated just five points out of a possible nine. The South Africans side registered one victory against Guinea. They then played two draws, one against Algeria and another disappointing goalless draw against Group C’s whipping boys, Niger.
Niger’s chances of surviving elimination from the competition look very slim after earning themselves only one point from three matches.
Bafana’s gripes
Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki has blamed poor refereeing in this biennial tournament, which is currently being hosted by three nations, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
“After our goalless game against Niger on Friday night, I can’t blame my players because there was certainly no shortage of drama, and intrigue in a match that saw two VAR penalty reviews go against South Africa,”
“Referee, Bouchra Karboubi also issued four yellow cards to our players during the match, a development that will not have pleased us,” said Ntseki.
South Africa’s coach maintained that his players gave their all against a team that he said had nothing to lose.
“I think that our players did their best in trying to win this game. But it was not meant to be, and we move forward,” he said.
Hopeful support
The Ugandan supporters came in numbers to root for Niger and when Karboubi signalled the final whistle, they celebrated the outcome as it means that the co-hosts remain at the top of the standings with one more game to play.
After Friday’s matches, Uganda remains top of Group C with six points while second-placed Algeria and third-placed South Africa retain their places on five points each.
Group C remains wide open, and the match tomorrow between Bafana and Uganda will decide which two countries will proceed to the next round, depending also on the outcome of the other game between Algeria and Niger.
