OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 11.15am.
THABO Mngomeni will captain Bafana Bafana against Namibia in the Cosafa Cup quarter-final in Windhoek on Saturday. “I’m deeply honoured but at the same time this is a big surprise,” said the Orlando Pirates midfielder. as With regular stand-ins John Moeti (not included in the squad) and Bolton Wanderers’ defender Mark Fish are not available for the game, Mngomeni will do duty for captain Lucas Radebe, who was released for this match. “It’s a big job filling the boots of Lucas but I’m confident of giving it my best shot and leading Bafana to victory over Namibia,” he said on Tuesday, when the announcement was made. Coach Trott Moloto thinks Mngomeni is the man for the job. “I was looking for a player with outstanding leadership qualities combined with a strong character and a good influence over the other players and Thabo fits the bill,” he said. Moloto says Mngomeni “he acquitted himself very well” when he served as vice-captain to Doctor Khumalo during the recent Caribbean tour. Mngomeni also captained his Eastern Cape club for two seasons and Moloto felt he proved his leadership qualities at Bucks. Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana suffered a big blow on Tuesday when key midfielder Brendan Augustine pulled out because of injury.
The former Autrian-based Lask player, who is now in Ajax Cape Town colours, sustained a groin injury at team training on Monday. After a fitness test on Tuesday, the midfielder had to withdraw from the team.