Centurion - Former Bafana Bafana forward Mark Williams believes the current group of players are on the right track, following the squad announcement on Monday for upcoming international friendlies later this month.
Bafana will travel to Europe to take on Guinea on March 25, before clashing with reigning World Cup champions France four days later.
Williams was part of the Bafana squad which won the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 1996.
With the current generation recently missing out on World Cup qualification, which came down to a controversial refereeing decision - Williams said there was indeed cause for optimism under coach Hugo Broos.
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“I think it’s a little bit sad that we didn’t qualify for any of the big tournaments. What I like about the coach is that he’s giving the players experience of playing abroad,” said Williams.
“I was a little bit disappointed with the result they got against Ghana, but we all know the referee … he had the whistle and there was a decision that was made.
“I felt they gave everything, and I felt a bit of hope since the players went out there looking like they wanted to get a result. I think that we maybe just lacked a bit of experience in the midfield. We needed someone who would have just put their foot on the ball and slowed the game down.”
On the squad selected to do duty against Guinea and France, which includes an out-of-form Pecy Tau - Williams said it was a well-balanced group of players.
“They are learning. The coach has announced a squad of 25 players with a lot of players coming from abroad. The more they play together the better the understanding they will have with each other. I hope we can identify some players that we will see every month so they can develop that brotherhood.”
* A host of Bafana Bafana legends are set to join Neil Tovey’s team for the MetroWired Legends Golf Day on March 29, 2022 at the Bryanston Country Club.
Businesses and corporates interested in being part of the day can secure their golf 3-ball packages to play with a Bafana Bafana legend at R20 000. For enquiries, email [email protected].
Find out more about Bafana Bafana Class of ‘96 Legends or follow @bafanalegends on all social media.