Pretoria - Bafana Bafana’s preparations for their 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Central African Republic (CAR) are back on track following their safe arrival at their base in Yaoundé, Cameroon, despite disruptions in their travels.
The national team had to endure a long and tiring five-hour road trip by bus after their connecting flight was cancelled.
Bafana Bafana players had spent Tuesday night in Douala, Cameroon, following their cancelled connecting flight to Yaoundé, where they will play CAR on Saturday, 8 June. The match kicks off at 4pm South African time.
Authorities say the reason the first flight was cancelled was that it was not on schedule, despite the fact that the South African Football Association (Safa) had fully paid for the airfare.
Bafana Bafana players were dealt another blow when their flight to Yaoundé on Wednesday afternoon was also cancelled.
This time, the explanation given was that the plane was stuck in Yaoundé and needed to be fixed and would only be available at 10pm.
This prompted head coach Gordon Igesund to embark on a road trip to avoid further delays as a lot of preparation time had been lost due to the first cancellation.
“Waiting at the airport for the next flight was not an option as there were no guarantees that it would arrive and we didn’t want to find ourselves stranded again in the middle of the night, so we had to think on our feet and make a move,” he said.
Igesund said it was very frustrating to have to go through such unnecessary delays, but he had warned the players in advance that they should expect such things.
The coach said despite all this, the players are in high spirits. “The players are also eager to get on with the business and put the matter behind them.
“The saga is behind us and we don’t want to make any accusations. We must just look forward to our mission.
“At the end of the day, we can’t look back, we can’t harp on this matter - life must go on. We are here to do a job and we will do it to the best of our ability.”
The coach said he would make sure the players are ready for Saturday’s crunch match.
Bafana skipper Itumeleng Khune said they were obviously very disappointed, but as professionals they had to “get on with it”.
“Fortunately the coach had prepared us well mentally. We are here for one thing – that is to play the match and win it.
“We were just worried about the road because we don’t know the area very well and driving such a long distance at night could be dangerous, but I am glad we have arrived safely.
“We are aware all South Africans were worried about the safety of the team and we would like to thank them for their concern,” Khune said. – SAnews.gov.za
