Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has revealed that three Bafana Bafana players are currently recovering from minor knocks, while Percy Tau arrived on Wednesday in the camp.
The Belgian tactician was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, eight days ahead of South Africa’s important qualifier for the 2023 African Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Broos confirmed that captain Ronwen Williams as well as Lyle Lakay and Innocent Maela all suffered recent knocks but should be fit in time for the clash against the Atlas Lions.
“Ronwen has a knock but he will feature against Morocco,” Broos said during a press conference on Wednesday.
“We have Lyle Lakay, who got a kick in the Nedbank Cup final. He will be there tomorrow afternoon in training. And also Innocent Maela, a little bit stiffness on the abductor but also he will there on Friday afternoon.”
Broos also confirmed that Tau arrived in camp on Monday, saying he was pleased to see him in better form of late, but also insisted his teammates need to help him to overcome the disappointment of losing the CAF Champions League final on Monday.
“So everybody is present, even Percy. He arrived today, I think half an hour ago. so I’m very happy that he’s here. I was pleased to see that shows more freshness in his games than in previous games with us,” Broos said in the presser with iDiski Times journalist Lorenz Kohler present.
“This was not Percy Tau we know, so I hope I will see him again like I saw him in Belgium. A good player, a player who can be decisive for our team.
“The only thing I think we have to give him a little recovery after the defeat [in the CAF Champions League final], and the critics this team gets now, and the coach, in Egypt. But I’m sure and confident that with his teammates and all the others of the group that they will support him and as soon as possible he’ll be again the guy we know.”
South Africa will take on Morocco on 9 June, before facing Liberia in a double-head in the next international break in September. The top two teams from Group K will qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations after Zimbabwe were disqualified by CAF.
Story by David Kappel.
