Bafana Bafana Coach Hugo Broos says South Africans will be proud of their national team at this year’s FIFA World Cup.
SA will play in the opening match of the tournament against co-hosts Mexico at 11 pm at Mexico City Stadium.
History is stacked against Bafana Bafana having failed to win any of the opening games in three previous tournaments.
However, Broos says their aim is to become the first senior team to progress to the second round of the tournament.
He also says he is encouraged after his team made big strides in the last 10 years.
Broos says, “Five years ago Bafana Bafana was nothing, we played in empty stadiums. And now at the end, the stadiums were full, and month after month the enthusiasm of people increased.”
He says, “So some people are expecting us to win the World Cup and I think that’s a little bit unrealistic, but on the other side even if there is 14 000 km between the two countries, we feel the warmth and the support of the South Africans, they can be sure tomorrow (Thursday) that they will see a team they can be proud of.”
Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena says that their aim is to make the nation proud.
Mokoena says, “It’s a dream come true for everyone, that’s the talk we’ve been having and we just want to show the world what we are capable of, and we are looking forward to the games.”
“We are excited, we are honoured, we want to represent our country at this biggest stage. We are just excited, I don’t have much to say but we are just looking forward to the games.”
He adds, “What I can say is that they must keep on supporting us and believing we will do our best, we will give everything on the field and the rest we will leave to God.”
