Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele says the team will try their best to win the upcoming Cosafa Cup tournament.
THE UPCOMING Cosafa Cup will be vital for the future of Bafana Bafana as the team looks to rebuild following several years of underachievement and underwhelming results.
The South Africans start their campaign to win the southern African tournament against neighbouring country Botswana on Tuesday.
The tournament serves as a developmental platform for up-and-coming players and so the Bafana team that will play in the competition does lack experience.
However, assistant coach Helman Mkhalele has been impressed by the attitudes of the players in the camp.
“They are hungry. The attitude of the new players has been active. Many of them welcomed their call-up even though it was late. The group stages won’t be easy but based on their attitudes and strategy I’m confident that we will do well,” said Mkhalele.
With Bafana mentor Hugo Broos still in his homeland of Belgium and waiting to receive his second Covid-19 jab, Mkhalele is expected to oversee the first team affairs for the Cosafa tournament.
The Bafana legend says that the national team is keen to win the tournament and give fans something to celebrate for a change.
The competition will allow up-and-coming and fringe players to impress and stake a claim for themselves to feature regularly for the national team going forward.
“We want a team that can be competitive in the World Cup qualifiers. Our first goal is to go there and win the tournament so that we can build our momentum going into the World Cup qualifiers,” said Mkhalele.
