Confederations Cup
'Bafana can win Confed Cup'
2009-05-25 11:14
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Johannesburg - Goalkeeper Brian Baloyi believes Bafana Bafana can stun their supporters and critics alike by winning the Confederations Cup.
The Mamelodi Sundowns stopper was a surprise inclusion in Joel
Santana's preliminary 30-man squad for next month's showpiece and he is
confident the Brazilian mentor can spring another shock by leading the
team to glory against the likes of Spain and world champions Italy.
"I honestly believe that we can win it," Baloyi told Business Day.
"If I did not believe that, why on earth would I be here working
so hard during the off-season? My philosophy is that I do not do
anything unless I actually believe that I am going to be successful in
the end.
"As much as I know that a lot of people do not believe in us, I believe that we are going to surprise many people next month."
The gloveman is competing with Itumeleng Khune, Rowen Fernandez
and Moeneeb Josephs for the number one jersey and despite the criticism
over his selection, he is happy to have the chance to represent the
national team once again.
It is still unclear whether Baloyi will be in Santana's final
23-man squad for the eight-team tournament, but the keeper is not
losing sleep over making the cut.
"Honestly, the uncertainty really does not worry me at all. I
know that eyebrows were raised when my name was announced in the squad
but that did not bother me," he said.
"These things do not bother me because the fact that I managed
to get into the four-member goalkeeper department after the kind of
season we had at Sundowns means I must be doing something right. That
is why I am not even worrying myself over whether I will make it into
that final list.
"I appreciate the fact that I managed to be part of this squad
and I will use that to motivate myself for the future," Baloyi
concluded.