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Tyson up for challenge in leading club and country

Cape Town - Bidvest Wits and Bafana Bafana skipper Thulani 'Tyson' Hlatshwayo says that despite recent hiccups, he remains up for the challenge of leading both teams.

Hlatshwayo has seen the national team's World Cup qualifying campaign faltering after successive defeats to Cape Verde.

And at club level, the defending MTN8 champions were knocked out of the competition by Cape Town City on Sunday, while the Clever Boys have picked up only a point from their opening two league games as they head into the defence of that title.

Hlatshwayo, however, remains confident that he has the strength of character to lead from the front, and issued a rallying cry to his Wits team-mates and the club's supporters.

"We need to remember how we won that silver trophy. We need to remember what we did to win that trophy. We need to remember how it felt to win that trophy. We need to know the impact it had on our personal lives, I call y'all Blue and White army to stand together and defend our territory," he posted on Instagram.

And the man named after former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson says he is not one to shirk responsibility.

"I knew what I was getting myself into when I took on the responsibilities of captaining my club and the national team," Hlatshwayo told the Star.

"The armband comes with a lot of pressure. Someone told me that if you don't want pressure you must go six feet under. That's the only place where there is no pressure.

"Pressure isn't only in football. It also comes from raising your kid and being a family man. I have to be strong to endure this and inspire my team-mates to bounce back."

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