Abidjan, Ivory Coast - It goes without saying that the rebuilding phase for the senior men’s national team is over, but Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune said it anyway, maybe as a timely reminder to himself and the rest of his teammates just how crucial Saturday’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso at the Stade du 4 Aout is.
This week has been full of such statements, even from the SA Football Association president Danny Jordaan, who spent time with the players on Monday night prior to their departure to their pit stop in Abidjan the next day.
Khune reflected on Jordaan’s pep-talk, Bafana’s failed attempt to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Gabon and how plucky and stubborn The Stallions of Burkina Faso can be, making their opening match in Group D of their road to the World Cup a tricky affair.
“I think it meant a lot to the players that the president can take time off to come speak to us and wish us all the very best ahead of such an important match,” said Khune. “We were actually talking about it on the flight here. It is something that we need going forward and not just for one game because if our leaders show that they believe in us, we feel like nothing can stand in our way.”
Jordaan’s visit shouldn’t be taken for granted.
After all this is the man who was visibly annoyed in a television interview shortly after Bafana played to a deflating 1-1 draw against lowly Mauritania in their final Afcon qualifier last month.
The Safa president’s reaction led to growing speculation regarding coach Shakes Mashaba’s future. The significance of getting off to a winning start in Ouagadougou against a Burkina Faso side which finished runners-up in the 2013 Afcon and are headed to next year’s edition cannot be stressed enough.
“We can’t have negative thoughts. We know how tough it is going to be, but we also should not make any excuses,” Khune said. “The time for rebuilding is over and I think the coach has had enough time with all of us to understand what is expected. This group has also been together long enough to make sure we do well to qualify for the World Cup. We are here to win. I think we have learnt a lot of lessons from the previous qualification campaign, so we cannot afford to go that route again.”
Khune knows the value in participating in a World Cup having been part of the Bafana squad when South Africa hosted the 2010 global showpiece.
He was also selected as one of two over-aged players when the national Under-23 side took part in the Olympic Games in Rio two months ago and proved his critics wrong by being one of the stand-out players for Team SA.
“I don’t like to talk about myself, but the team as a whole because we have to achieve things together,” the Kaizer Chiefs goal minder, who has 79 caps and 39 clean sheets, explained.
“But if we have not learnt any lessons from our previous qualifiers that means we do not want to grow. We need to think about the three points and top spot.”
He’s spot on.
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The Star