Bafana Bafana boss Stuart Baxter turned to foreign-based strikers for goals at Afcon when he named his final 23-man squad on Sunday.
Baxter included Strasbourg’s Lebo Mothiba, Rotterdam Sparta captain Lars Veldwijk and the Belgian second division’s Player of the Year Percy Tau as his striking options for the Egypt tournament, which kicks off at the end of the month.
Bafana Bafana will play Angola in a Training match on 19 June 2019 at a venue to be confirmed in Egypt. pic.twitter.com/iyE4Q4GOqL
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 10, 2019
The trio will be backed by Mamelodi Sundowns duo Lebogang Maboe and Sibusiso Vilakazi, after Cape Town City’s Kermit Erasmus was dropped from the training camp squad.
Also not getting on the plane to Dubai on Monday as South Africa step up their preparations, is midfield pair Fortune Makaringe and Ben Motshwari and defender Rivaldo Coetzee who left the camp last week to be with his ailing mother.
Bafana Bafana warming up before playing a practice match among themselves at TUKS Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday, 8 June 2019 pic.twitter.com/FMI07buEwy
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 8, 2019
Of Coetzee, Baxter says: “I won’t go into slaughtering him because I don’t know the situation now.
“But he’s not back to us and that’s disappointing, that he’s not shown the desire even though he has personal issues.”
Bafana Bafana Group Stages #AFCON2019 Dates :-
24-06-2019 vs Ivory Coast (16h30)
28-06-2019 vs Namibia (22h00)
01-07-2019 vs Morocco (18h00) pic.twitter.com/qNLtW3x6fz
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 10, 2019
South Africa will play against Ghana in Dubai international friendly on Saturday before heading to Egypt where they will play another friendly.
Bafana Bafana are in Group D, together with Ivory Coast who they play in their opening Group game on June 24, Namibia and Morocco.
AFCON SQUAD
Goalkeeper:
Darren Keet, Ronwen Williams, Bruce Bvuma.
Defenders:
Daniel Cardoso, Ramahlwe Mphahlele, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Innocent Maela, S’fiso Hlanti, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Thamsanqa Mkhize.
Midfielders:
Bongani Zungu, Dean Furman, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Tiyani Mabunda, Thulani Serero, Thembinkosi Lorch, Themba Zwane, Hlompho Kekana.
Strikers:
Lebo Mothiba, Percy Tau, Lars Veldwijk, Lebogang Maboe, Sibusiso Vilakazi.
Coaching Staff: Stuart Baxter (Head coach), Molefi Ntseki (Assistant Coach) Andre Arendse (Goalkeeper coach)
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) June 9, 2019