Bafana Bafana
Nunes confident for Bafana win
2012-10-09 21:03
Ricardo Nunes (Reuters images)
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Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana's newest defender, Ricardo Nunes, admits he knows little about his team-mates, but he remains confident of the side's chances when they square up against Poland in a friendly international in Warsaw on Friday.
Nunes, who was born in Johannesburg and moved to Portugal when he was eight years old, is now based in Slovakia where he turns out for top-flight club MSK Zilina.
"I didn't know much about South African football because we don't watch it on television in Slovakia," Nunes said on Tuesday after he linked up with the Bafana squad in Warsaw.
"However, I have checked some action on the internet.
"There are lots of very skillful players and some of my current club team-mates are from the African continent and they speak highly of the level of the game in South Africa.
"Now that I am here, I can't wait to mingle with my new national team-mates. I am very excited to be here."
Nunes, 26, had hoped for an earlier call-up to the South African squad, but he had to tie up some details with global governing body FIFAbefore he could be available for selection.
"I was very happy when I heard that I had been called up to the national team of my birthplace South Africa," he said.
"This is a very special moment in my life.
"I have been waiting for a while for this but I had to sort out my papers first with FIFA before I could accept the call-up."
While he expected a battle against their hosts, Nunes believed Bafana had the beating of Poland, who are 22 places above the South Africans in the world rankings.
He said he had been motivated after watching the national side play to a 1-0 defeat against global giants Brazil in a friendly international in Sao Paulo last month.
"They (Poland) are playing at home, which makes them very dangerous, but after seeing highlights of South Africa against Brazil I am confident that we have what it takes to beat them," he said.
"If we continue from that performance in Sao Paolo, I have no doubt in my mind that there is a good chance of us winning the match."