27 March 2025- Bafana Bafana beat Benin 2-0 in a crunch FIFA World Cup qualifier at a sweltering Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Tuesday to maintain their lead in Group C. It was the occasion of Percy Tau’s 50th cap and while he did not find the back of the net himself, he worked very hard to ensure that coach Hugo Broos’ charges return home with the priceless three points.
Second half goals from Lyle Foster in the 52nd minute and Jayden Adams in the 84th minute were enough to give the visitors victory away from home.
Broos had said that he wanted six points from the two matches against Lesotho in Polokwane on Friday last week and against Benin in Cote d’Ivoire, and his charges met the challenge. The Bafana Bafana coach said the victory was down to a very good analysis of the opponent and his players followed the instructions to the book.
“We knew where we could be dangerous against Benin. They are a good team, but what we did very well today was to keep possession and wait for the right moments,” he said.
It was a tough game in Cote d’Ivoire, but this Bafana Bafana side has proved time and time again that they can grind out the result in difficult conditions.
25 March 2025– Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has been left frustrated after it emerged that his charges will not be able to train at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a day before they face Benin in a crunch 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Benin will host the South African senior men’s national team in Côte d’Ivoire after their home grounds were deemed to be unsuitable for international matches. But this arrangement has been complicated by the fact that Côte d’Ivoire host the Gambia at the same Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny on 24 March 2025, and this means both Bafana Bafana and Benin cannot access the venue a day before their own match.
Broos is understandably upset as the visiting team is entitled to a training session of up to one hour on the pitch where the match is to take place, on the day before the match.
“First of all, I have to tell you that I’m really not satisfied with the decision that we can’t have a pre-match training in the stadium where the game takes place. I think this is a FIFA rule, that every team has the right to have a preliminary training before the game of 60 minutes in the stadium where you play, where the match takes place.
“I don’t understand. I understand it because there is another game. But this is bad when people who make the rules don’t follow the rules. Will that have an influence on the game?” he asked.
Bross further said he does know and if he knows if tomorrow after the game, he is not at the press conference, there will be a sanction. He added that they have to follow the rules.
“Where are the rules now? And you will tell me, yes, that’s for both teams. I don’t think so. I think Berlin has already trained in that stadium because they were here before us.
“So, it’s all nice to say, follow the rules, follow this. We have to follow everything. But we have the right to train today in the stadium where the match takes place, and we can’t. And this is not honest and this is not correct,” said Broos.
Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams said the team was happy to be back in Côte d’Ivoire after winning the Africa Cup of Nations bronze medal in the country in February last year. Williams said the South African senior men’s national team won the bronze medals after beating DR Congo 6-5 on penalties in the AFCON third-place play-off.
“It’s going to be a tough one. Benin is a very good team, but we believe in our qualities, we believe in what we’ve been building over the last year. So, we’re looking forward to the game. It’s going to be a tough one, a lot of challenges, but I think this team is strong enough to overcome all those challenges.
“It’s going to be a tough one, but we’re excited and we’re looking forward to it. We know how important and vital this game is for the group. We know that we can open up a gap and we know that a gap can be closed as well,” he said.
Williams said this is a big, big, big game in these qualifying rounds. He said it’s obviously the halfway mark now and after today one will have an idea as to who the favourites are in the group.
“So, we want to be there and we want to stay on top of the group,” said Williams.
Bafana Bafana had their first training session in Côte d’Ivoire yesterday afternoon.
3 September 2024– The South African U17 Men’s National Team (Amajimbos) departed for Abidjan, Côte D’Ivoire, on Saturday morning ahead of their fourth international match as they continue preparations for the 2024 COSAFA Championships, to be played in December 2024.
Amajimbos will be participating in a FIFA 6 Nations Talent Development Scheme (TDS) tournament in the West African country. The scheme is the brainchild of FIFA with the aim of exposing junior players to international football at a young age in order to fast-track their development.
South Africa will play three international friendly matches during their week-long stay in Cote D’Ivoire. Their opening match of the tournament will be played on 3 September 2024, against Algeria.
They will then face East Africans Tanzania on 5 September 2024, before their last match against Morocco on 7 September 2024.
Amajimbos head coach, Vela Khumalo said they aim to qualify for the 2025 FIFA U17 Men’s World Cup and are building up to this by preparing the team at every opportunity provided to them.
“Amajimbos last played two weeks ago in South Africa against Lesotho in two practice matches. They beat their counterparts 4-0 and 3-1 consecutively over two matches.
“Prior to that, the U17 National Team had played two international friendlies in Colombia earlier in the year and participated in a Three Nations TDS Tournament in Morocco in December 2023,” he said.
The Guardian 