The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is fast approaching, and former Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has cast his prediction on how South Africa will perform at the continental competition.
Bafana Bafana have been drawn in Group E alongside Mali, Peter Shalulile’s Namibia and 1996 Afcon finalists Tunisia.
It goes without saying that Bafana have been drawn in a relatively winnable group, having avoided some traditional football giants such as Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, and hosts Ivory Coast, just to mention a few.
Having coached the national team before and was part of the technical team as an assistant coach to Carlos Alberto Parreira, Mosimane said Bafana can make it out of the group stages but will be difficult.
“To be honest, I haven’t been watching Bafana for a very long time. I know the results of their previous games, but I just haven’t been watching them,” Mosimane exclusively told Sunday World recently.
“Making it out of the group stages will be difficult, we are in a group of death. We have Tunisia, Mali and Namibia are going to create a lot of problems for us.
“But South Africa always rises to the occasion, remember they beat Egypt [in the 2019 Afcon] so they can make it out of the group stages, but it will be tough.”
After the draw in October, Bafana coach Hugo Broos said he was satisfied with the teams they are pitted with.
Mali and Tunisia will be tough
“Honestly, I am not really unhappy [at the draw], especially when you see the teams we were presented with,” Broos said.
“Mali and Tunisia are both big teams for sure, but I preferred them to Senegal or Ivory Coast – which is very good for us.
“And then Namibia is a team we know very well, so I think if we achieve our best level, we can go through the group stages.”
The Afcon will take centre stage in Ivory Coast on 13 January, with Elephants set to open the competition against Guinea-Bissau.
