Bafana Bafana midfielder, Dean Furman has urged all South Africans rally behind the team for their crucial 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia qualifier match against Senegal at Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight (Friday).
Currently last in Group D with four points Bafana Bafana needs to beat Senegal tonight and in their away fixture scheduled for next week Tuesday to automatically qualify for the biggest soccer spectacle of all times.
Speaking to the media in Polokwane yesterday (Thursday) ahead of the last practice session, Furman who is the captain of Super Sport United said they want the support of everyone for the match. “We want the stadium full. I saw the stadium full when I was playing in the Nedbank Cup final last year and it was an electrifying atmosphere. We are hopeful that the fans will come in numbers and support the team,” the former Chelsea Football Club youth player said.
He said they were not afraid of the threat posed by the Lions of Teranga who boast with European based stars like Sadio Mane of Liverpool Football Club and striker Keita Baldé Diao who plays for French Ligue 1 club Monaco.“We always respond in big games like these. These are the top end of any big game, these are the games which have been in our minds for some time. These are the games to show up. The stakes are high and we will give everything. At times emotions run high when we play in these big games but we must maintain our discipline,” Furman concluded.
According to reports more than 20 000 tickets have already been sold for tonight’s match.
Ndavhe Ramakuela, Community Development Director at Polokwane Municipality said they were ready to accommodate 30 000 plus supporters who will be attending tonight match at the stadium. “All systems are ready from safety and security point of view and we are looking forward to tonight’s match,” Ramakuela said.
In a call for support of the national team Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has offered fans 2 000 free tickets to the match.
Malema took to Twitter yesterday (Thursday) and told his 1‚63 million followers that he was offering free tickets to the encounter. “We support #BafanaBafana, come collect your free ticket now@EFFSouthAfrica’s Provincial office situated at 8A Landdros Mare Street Polokwane. Do or Die they remain our national pride, make us proud boys,” the tweet read.
EFF Provincial Secretary, Jossey Buthane told Polokwane Observer earlier today (Friday) that the tickets offer was only for yesterday (Thursday). “We exhausted everything yesterday. With this gesture we wanted to reach out to those who cannot afford tickets and give them an opportunity to see the national team in action,” Buthane said.
Story & photos: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert.observer@gmail.com
