Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - A 30-minute training session is all Bafana Bafana could manage to squeeze in to end a period of frustration for coach Shakes Mashaba on Thursday.
The national team had finally been able to set foot on a standard pitch after they were forced to use an artificial field for their first training session here ahead of Saturday night’s all-important 2018 World Cup opening qualifier against Burkina Faso at the Stade du 4 Aout.
Wondering why Mashaba only had half-an-hour to take Bafana through their paces? It was all thanks to bees (yes, BEES). The team arrived at the arranged training grounds and failed to get off the bus, however, because deadly bees were running wild in the area, leaving them no choice but to drive around in search of a second option.
By the time Plan B was in motion, an hour had been wasted. The next available training ground did not have floodlights and Mashaba – under strict instructions from the team doctor Thulani Ngwenya – was unwilling to settle for the artificial pitch having used one for their first training session in Ouagadougou. With no lights, Bafana could only practice until sun set.
It had been a frustrating day for the coach after striker Tokelo Rantie had to be withdrawn from the original 25-man squad for his failure to report to camp on Sunday even though his Turkish club Genclerbirligi had released him in time to join the Bafana team at the Milpark Hotel in Johannesburg.
There could be another no-show on the cards with winger Ayanda Patosi and defender Isaac Nhlapho also late in arriving after they stayed behind in SA on Tuesday, when the rest of their teammates departed, to sort out their visa issues.
Kick-off at Stade du 4 Aout is 8pm SA time.
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Independent Media