Durban – Gordon Igesund has rejected as “mind games” Mali coach Patrice Charteron’s assertion that the pressure is all on Bafana Bafana heading into Saturday’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final.

The Eagles have battled their way into the last eight, spurred on by the thought giving joy to their people back home, embroiled in civil war. And Charteron suggested after their 1-1 draw with Congo that the expectation was now on Bafana’s shoulders.

“We really wanted to give pleasure to our country,” said the Mali coach. “We now play away in the quarter-finals and it is difficult in this competition to get out of the group … the only thing I think is Bafana must win the tournament, and the pressure will be on them.”

However, the Bafana coach was having none of it. “I heard his comments and he is doing what most people do – taking pressure off his own team. Believe me there is pressure on every team at this tournament, all the players are nervous. There is as much pressure on him as there is on me,” said Igesund. “We all want to do well and advance to the semi-finals. He is playing mind games, classing himself as the underdog.

“Mali are ranked third in Africa and we are ranked 22nd, you figure it out,” he added later.

The Bafana coach certainly has a point. Mali are one of the powerhouse sides of the continental game, and finished third at last year’s Afcon.

South Africa were not even at that tournament, or the one preceding it. In fact, they are in their first Nations Cup quarter-final since, ironically, they lost 2-0 to host nation Mali in 2002.

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