Shakes: Even Jesus suffered

Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has hit back at his detractors following his side's shock 3-1 defeat to minnows Mauritania at the weekend.

Mashaba and his team have faced some stern criticism in the wake of the disappointing result, which leaves Bafana languishing at the foot of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group M.

The team's plight has left many South Africans wondering if Bafana Bafana will be able to bounce back and secure qualification with a run of good results.

Mashaba, though, is taking it all in his stride and even went so far as to compare his situation to that of Jesus Christ.

"It happens all over - even Jesus Christ himself went through pains but he managed to go on, saving and preaching to people," Mashaba was quoted as saying by Sowetan Live.

He added: "What keeps me going is because I am a coach. There must be someone who is doing it, imagine if coaches were to back down and say 'no we have lost', and then run away.

"Who is going to coach the teams? Whether it is painful or not, we must keep doing it. It is also for the love of the game."