SAFA has announced Mamelodi Sundowns star as the captain of Bafana Bafana team that will play African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against Egypt.
South Africa will take on ‘The Pharaohs’ in the first leg on Sunday, 2 March at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Even though the match wasn't during a FIFA international window, a strong team was selected due to Premier Soccer League clubs' cooperation in releasing players, despite a crucial league weekend
Former Chiefs coach Molefi Ntseki will be leading the team, returning to spearheading the national team having coached Bafana senior team before.
SAFA confirmed that Neo Maema was selected as the captain. Making his debut for South Africa, Maema expressed his delight, accepting the responsibility he was given.
MAEMA DELIGHTED TO LEAD BAFANA BAFANA
“I’m humbled to stand before you guys, before the coaches, and humbled by the responsibility they’ve given me to be the captain of our national team. We’ve been preparing very well in a very short time, but we are supporting each other in terms of how we need to approach the game,” he said.
“We also have to put ourselves in a good position in terms of playing at home in our country, making our fans very proud. So, it’s a team effort and we must also listen to our coaches to make sure that everything that they’ve told us, we grasp as quickly as possible so that we can be ready for tomorrow’s game.
“The mood is very high. We also have a lot of young players that are willing to listen. We know they are also there to listen to us. I’m happy to be the captain of our team and make sure that we represent the country very well.”
The team will return to Johannesburg on Monday, 3 March 2025 where they will remain in camp until departure to Egypt on 6 March 2025.
