Eric Tinkler (Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix)
The squad left on Thursday for the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the return leg scheduled for next Saturday in Pretoria, and Tinkler is pleased with the prospects of lifting the title on home soil.
“Considering everything that has happened so far and our lack of preparation, it is better to play away first,” he said.
“I think what the team has proven so far in this competition is that it is more than capable of scoring away from home. We need to go there with the mindset of getting a goal, irrespective of whether it means we go there and we draw 1-1 or we lose 2-1, it is very important to get the away goal,” Tinkler added.
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He bemoaned the fact that he did not have adequate time to prepare his men ahead of the final, with the likes of Bafana players Dean Furman, Bradley Grobler, Clayton Daniels and Ronwen Williams, together with New Zealander Jeremy Brockie all having linked up with the team at OR Tambo International yesterday afternoon upon their arrival from Senegal and Peru.
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“We would’ve loved to have at least a week of preparation with the full squad, but that’s not the case. I can complain and then tomorrow it will look like the coach is making excuses, but that is the truth,” said Tinkler.
He continued: “Who do we blame? Do we blame Caf, is the date the right date to be playing such a big final? Do we blame Safa? Those are all the questions I ask. We can’t do anything about that, we just have to go ahead and do the best we possibly can.
“We are travelling with 17 players, and those are the players who are available, so the team has actually selected itself. The fear was what was going to happen to all of the guys who were away (on national duty). Fortunately they all came back unscathed.”
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