Pretoria - Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula says Bafana Bafana should rise to the occasion and qualify for the quarter-finals of the CHAN 2014 tournament, which is currently underway in Cape Town, Mangaung and Polokwane.
Giving reporters an update on the tournament in Pretoria, Mbalula said: “When you are a host, you are... supposed to be clear, play your football and you have the support - just win.
“Bafana must understand patriotism, that if you are a footballer, you must defend, play in the midfield and score goals, and this is what is important. You must fight with the ferocity of a cornered bull and the agility of a cat (sic).
“The occasion is here. It’s with us, it is CHAN. Imagine the finals without Bafana Bafana. All the teams that came here, came through the qualifying process and we only qualified because we are host, so we must win the tournament for our people.
“… I’m confident that they will rise to the occasion. Champions are born out of difficult moments.”
Mbalula said Bafana’s opening match spirit against Mozambique should have been doubled when they played against Mali last night.
Bafana, who are still on top of group A with four points, beat Mozambique 3-1 in their opening match, and played to a 1-1 draw against the Eagles of Mali.
The national team will face Nigeria in their last group match on Sunday.
Support for Bafana
Mbalula rallied South Africans to continue supporting the team throughout the tournament and fly the flag high.
“The boys have done well and we are proud of them. We believe that they will make it to the finish line. As I said, good performance will be rewarded handsomely. The country stands firmly behind Bafana Bafana and will show their support and appreciation for all the participating teams,” he said.
Day five into the tournament and after Bafana’s second game, Mbalula said the CHAN tournament was running smoothly.
“To date, we have seen 10 matches being played in all host cities. The teams showed vigour and good sportsmanship. All the matches that have taken place were incident-free and celebrated in the spirit of Ubuntu,” he said.
The minister said the tournament was the perfect platform to kick off the 20 Years of Freedom celebrations and will allow the nation to unite behind a common objective.
“Our hard-won freedom has allowed us to stride proudly onto the continental and world stage. This is Africa’s raw talent. In Africa, we don’t have a talent problem; we have the problem of not winning the World Cup.”
He said government was working in a coordinated manner to ensure that CHAN 2014 is safe and secure, and that citizens and visitors can rest assured that plans are in place to ensure a successful tournament.
Throughout the tournament, government is in touch with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the best support is given to them.
Call to action
Mbalula also used the platform to encourage soccer fans to come early to the stadia.
“We also urge supporters to continue adhering to restrictions, such as not bringing umbrellas when it is raining, during the games. We understand the rainy conditions but for the safety of our supporters, however, they are not allowed inside the stadia.”
Mbalula said on Friday, South Africans should wear their Bafana jerseys as part of Freedom Friday to celebrate 20 Years of Freedom.
CEO of the Local Organising Committee Mvuzo Mbebe said: “At this stage, we have 56 606 [people] -- excluding the VVIPs -- who have attended the CHAN tournament games in the three host city stadiums.” – SAnews.gov.za
