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SAFA confirm Madagascar friendly after Zambia pull out due to xenophobic concerns

Cape Town - The South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed that Bafana Bafana will welcome Madagascar to the Orlando Stadium in Soweto for an international friendly on Saturday.

This follows the withdrawal of Zambia three days before their scheduled fixture against Bafana due to safety concerns following xenophobic attacks in Gauteng.

Despite the match taking place at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) opted to call the match off due to "safety concerns".

In a statement, FAZ wrote: "The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) regrets to inform members of the public that the international friendly match between Zambia and South Africa that was scheduled for National Heroes Stadium on Saturday, 7 September 2019 has been called off in view of the prevailing security concerns in South Africa."

SAFA then worked around the clock to find a replacement opponent.

The match against Madagascar will be played on Saturday, September 7 at 19:00.

"Bafana Bafana will play Madagascar on Saturday, 7 September 2019 at Orlando Stadium. Kick-off 19h00. The match will replace the cancelled Zambia friendly," the official Bafana Bafana Twitter account confirmed.

South Africa last played against Nigeria in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Egypt.

The Super Eagles handed Bafana Bafana a 2-1 defeat in the quarter-final.

Since then, Stuart Baxter shockingly resigned with the cash-strapped SAFA entrusting Molefi Ntseki as his replacement on a four-year contract.

- Compiled by Tashreeq Vardien

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