By OBAKENG MAJE
1 May 2025– South Africa coach, Molefi Ntseki was a happy man on Wednesday night after he finally had his full complement of players ahead of this weekend’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) away first leg qualifier against Malawi.
Ntseki’s Bafana Bafana CHAN side will face Malawi in the first leg on 3 May 2025, at the Republic Stadium in Lilongwe and then host their COSAFA neighbours in the return match at Loftus Stadium in Tshwane on 11 May 2025. The team had an intense training workout on Wednesday and the coach said he was happy to see the amount of work the players put into the session.
“It has been very difficult, I must say, because clubs are playing today on Wednesday, and clubs are playing over the weekend, and we had a lot of withdrawals due to club commitments.
“I think everybody is aware that the league is nearing an end and teams in the PSL are working very hard to be in the top eight, some are working very hard to be in the top three, some are working very hard to win the championship, and some are working very hard to avoid relegation,” he said.
Ntseki further said that it has been very difficult to get all the players they called up in the initial squad. He added that he was happy to see the players in camp.
“So, today is for the first time that we have a full squad, that is, we have a full squad that has reported for camp, so we could start working on our tactics and making and creating different moments of the game for a better tactical understanding so that when we get to Malawi, we are able to execute our tactical plan.
“But, I think the attitude of the players that are in camp is very good, and it has always been like that. Our players, they really want to be part of the national team, and you can see some of them had to call me, and talk to me about them coming to the camp, which was very good,” said Ntseki.
Meanwhile, the team will travel to Lilongwe on Thursday morning, 1 May 2025 and return home on 5 May 2025.
The Guardian 