Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town coach Roger de Sa has tipped Shakes Mashaba's
Bafana team to progress to the semi-finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of
Nations.
De Sa is confident South Africa will continue to perform at a high level in Equatorial Guinea after remaining unbeaten in their qualifying campaign.
Bafana managed to record three wins and three draws during qualifying, in a group containing defending AFCON champions Nigeria, Congo and Sudan.
And De Sa, whose Ajax side is currently enjoying the festive break, feels Mashaba and his men have proved their credentials and stand a good chance of progressing from what has been dubbed the 'group of death' by fans and media alike.
"Yes, the group is tough, but one cannot make the mistake of ruling out Bafana before the competition starts," De Sa told Kickoff.
"Emerging unbeaten in a qualifying group that involves a team such as Nigeria is a strong statement and the rest of the teams competing will be taking Bafana very seriously."
He added: "The thing is, Shakes Mashaba and his team have done well from the start. They have continued to surprise us and have won over the hearts of the national team supporters.
"They have a strong chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the tournament, because they now have the confidence of facing any team on the continent.
"The important thing is for the whole nation to be behind the boys. They deserve our support because they are doing the country proud."
De Sa picked up one cap for South Africa during his playing days and also acted as goalkeeping coach during the reign of former Bafana boss Carlos Queiroz.
De Sa is confident South Africa will continue to perform at a high level in Equatorial Guinea after remaining unbeaten in their qualifying campaign.
Bafana managed to record three wins and three draws during qualifying, in a group containing defending AFCON champions Nigeria, Congo and Sudan.
And De Sa, whose Ajax side is currently enjoying the festive break, feels Mashaba and his men have proved their credentials and stand a good chance of progressing from what has been dubbed the 'group of death' by fans and media alike.
"Yes, the group is tough, but one cannot make the mistake of ruling out Bafana before the competition starts," De Sa told Kickoff.
"Emerging unbeaten in a qualifying group that involves a team such as Nigeria is a strong statement and the rest of the teams competing will be taking Bafana very seriously."
He added: "The thing is, Shakes Mashaba and his team have done well from the start. They have continued to surprise us and have won over the hearts of the national team supporters.
"They have a strong chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the tournament, because they now have the confidence of facing any team on the continent.
"The important thing is for the whole nation to be behind the boys. They deserve our support because they are doing the country proud."
De Sa picked up one cap for South Africa during his playing days and also acted as goalkeeping coach during the reign of former Bafana boss Carlos Queiroz.
