South Africa’s soccer players could not hide their excitement on Wednesday as the 100-day countdown to the World Cup passed, but the team faces a huge test to qualify for the second round of the tournament.
In the east coast city of Durban for the friendly against Namibia at the new Moses Mabhida Stadium, South Africa defender Bevan Fransman said the reality of hosting and playing in the one of the world’s biggest sporting events is hitting home.
“There is no turning back,” Fransman said. “When we got the bid everybody said ‘We’ve got the World Cup,” well the reality is hitting now. It’s time to get ready.”
Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has told his players to make the most of the opportunity to play at a Soccer World Cup, calling it a “priceless feeling”.
With much of the preparations out of the way, local focus will shift to the host team and its performances. South Africa opens the tournament on June 11 with a Group A match against Mexico, before games against Uruguay and France. It will be viewed as a failure if the home team does not reach the knockout stage.
Fransman, who plays for Maccabi Netanya in Israel, was one of a string of foreign-based players called up by Parreira for the Namibia game, which ended at 1-1, as the Brazilian looks to finalise his squad.
No looking back
Also included was Germany-based veteran defender Bradley Carnell, Bryce Moon of Greek club PAOK and Anele Ngcongca, who plays in Belgium.
Ngcongca said there was no looking back.
“Time goes by so quick,” the K.R.C. Ghenk midfielder said. “We have to look forward because the other day we thought this day would not come and here we are now, the countdown shows there is no looking back.”
Midfielder Moon said, “We are ready to give our best to the country. It’s very close because time flies. We are ready to take the challenge, and we will see what happens.”
Defender Siyanda Xulu added, “We must start believing in ourselves.”
Lebohang Mokoena, a midfielder with Mamelodi Sundowns, was brought in by Parreira after playing his last game in a Bafana shirt four years ago.
“It’s been too long that I haven’t been in the national team, but I have always kept faith that given a chance at club level I will bounce back,” he said.
“So it’s just up to me to play well when given a chance in the national team because the World Cup is close.
‘We are moving closer to the biggest tournament in the world, and as for the players it gets more exciting to say, ‘We are almost there’,” Mokoena added.
The team was joined at a training session on Tuesday by Brazil’s two-time World Cup winner Cafu as Parreira uses all of his contacts to inspire his team. Cafu played under Parreira in the World Cup-winning team in the United States in 1994. — Sapa