Share

It's about widening the pool - Da Gama

Cape Town - Bafana Bafana assistant coach Owen da Gama said the friendly international match against Mozambique at the 40 000-seater Estadio Nacional do Zimpeto in Maputo on Tuesday will give him and the technical team an opportunity to widen their options by having a look at other players.

Da Gama, who will be in charge of the senior national team in acting capacity, hinted at a press conference on Monday in Maputo that he might ring some changes from the team that played and beat Senegal at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.

Tuesday’s friendly international match kicks off at 19:00.

"We need competition in all positions in the team, hence we will use Tuesday’s friendly to look at other options. This is good for the team," said da Gama as quoted by Supersport.com.

The under-23 mentor said by virtue of closer links between Mozambique and South Africa in almost all spheres of life, there were many Mozambican players plying their trade in South Africa, and he knows that Tuesday’s friendly international will not be easy.

“Mozambique national team is a good side, make no mistake about that. They are young and improving by each game as we saw in the friendly match against Kenya at the weekend. They cannot be underestimated,” he said.

The coach also announced that defender Rivaldo Coetzee had picked up an ankle injury and has been ruled out of the match on Tuesday. Otherwise all other players are available for selection.

Meanwhile, Mambas coach Abel Xavier, a former Liverpool and Portugal international said that playing South Africa was part of the country’s ambition of building a stronger senior national team.

"Our aim is to build a stronger side by utilising all the FIFA dates. We want to play sides that will offer us a challenge and I am relishing Tuesday’s challenge," said Xavier.

"We are going to take this match seriously and we aim to give Bafana Bafana a good run for their money," he added.

Read the story on SuperSport.com

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1224 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1420 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2155 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE