Share

Bad pitch to suit Burkina Faso?

Johannesburg - The pitch at Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium has received plenty of criticism since the start of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January.

Togo's Emmanuel Adebayor called it a "disgrace," but Burkina Faso's Belgian coach Paul Put believes his side's experience of the surface will be in their favour when they face Ghana in Wednesday's semi-final.

The Stallions played all their group games at the venue, and also beat Togo in the quarter-finals there.

"Even though the pitch is very bad it's our home stadium," Put said.

"Ghana is also a technical and physical team as well, but it's still an advantage for us as we are playing in a 'home' game.

"We have nothing to lose as no one expected us to play in the semi-finals."

The bumpy pitch means that players needed a couple of touches to control the ball.

"So I told the players to be patient and stay well organised because with this pitch you never know," Put said. "With one error they can kick your head off, so we have to be careful."

The Burkina Faso boss said his team is elated to have reached the semi-finals, but the focus needed to be maintained to give them the best possible chance of beating the Black Stars as well.

"I'll keep them with both feet on the ground - I know Africa a little and if you let them fly it never ends," he said.

"We respect Ghana. They are a great team and great players but one thing is sure... We are playing in Nelspruit for the fifth game - so it's our home stadium now."

Ghana have won all three of their previous Nations Cup clashes with Burkina Faso, the most recent being in 2010 where Ghana won 1-0.

This will be the first time the teams have met in the knock-out phase of the competition.

Ghana were poor against Cape Verde in the second half of their quarter-final in Port Elizabeth but still managed to eke out a 2-0 win.

With Nigeria beating favourites Ivory Coast 2-1 in Rustenburg on Sunday, the tournament has been opened up, with anyone between the Super Eagles, Ghana, the Stallions or Mali capable of lifting the trophy on Sunday in Johannesburg.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1815 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1082 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE