Bafana Bafana will play in front of a decent crowd at the FNB Stadium when they face Morocco on Saturday afternoon.
By Wednesday morning, more than 43 000 tickets had already been sold thanks to SA Football Association’s wise move to cut prices and sell tickets at R20.
There is also a huge demand for the game, with local football supporters eager to watch the top-ranked team on the continent.
Morocco charmed the world when they made history by becoming the first African country to reach the semi-finals of the Fifa World Cup in Qatar in 2022. After defeating Spain and Portugal, the Atlas Lions were knocked out in the last four by France 2-0.
The availability of Morocco’s World Cup superstars and icons Achraf Hakimi, Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla FC), Hakim Ziyech of Chelsea, Sofyan Amrabat and Yassine Bounou to mention but a few, has created a huge hype in this match.
Previously, fans snubbed Bafana matches at the FNB Stadium and the SA senior national team would play in front of the empty orange chairs.
In September 2022, an estimated 1 000 people turned out to witness South Africa defeat Botswana 1-0 in a friendly international. The attendance was also not impressive a few days earlier when Bafana punished Sierra Leone 4-0 at the same venue.
On Tuesday, Bafana team doctor Tshepo Molobi offered a deeper insight into players’ strengths and weaknesses.
“The testing was extremely thorough, it pin-points the players’ strength and weakness, and we as a medical team are able to assist the players with improving their game, building on strengths and weaknesses,” said Molobi.
He said the medical room was empty because none of the players were carrying serious injuries, but cautioned that this is not a true indication of the state of players’ fitness.
“The room might be empty now but the nature of the athletic body could mean that after training it’s busy.”
For the latest sport news from Sunday World, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
