Jomo tips Bafana to make Afcon knockout stages

The “Black Prince” recalls the time when Bafana Bafana knocked out a then high-and-mighty Morocco side in the 1998 Afcon.

Bafana are in Group D with the same Morocco alongside Ivory Coast and Namibia. Jomo is sure Stuart Baxter’s side will reach the knockout stages.

Sono’s Bafana also beat Namibia in 1998, Benni McCarthy scoring four goals in the opening 21 minutes as South Africa won 4-1, and they then went on to beat Morocco 2-1 in the quarterfinals, and DR Congo 2-1 in the semifinals, before losing to Egypt in the final.

“I believe that we can top the group. To be honest nothing is impossible,” said Jomo on Bafana’s chances at the 2019 Afcon in Egypt.

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“When we played Morocco in 1998 they were number one on the continent and we were somewhere down there and we knocked them out in the quarterfinals. It is up to how the players are prepared for the day and how the coach prepares his team on the day.

“I strongly believe we can reach the knockout stages because there are four teams that can qualify as third-placed finishers. We have a chance,” he added.

The Jomo Cosmos coach continued: “Sometimes it is not about preparing the players physically, it is about the mental strength as well. We need that because we are not playing at home. We need to make sure that the head is right and they go out there and fight.”

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While it is still a guessing game on who Baxter will select in his final 23-man squad that will travel to Egypt, as he has assembled a provisional 30-man squad, one thing that is certain, at least according to the former Orlando Pirates midfield wizard Sono, is that Bafana are guaranteed three points against Namibia, whom they play in their second group match.

“South Africa will beat Namibia, make no mistake. We can beat them any time. In the morning, afternoon, at night, just know that South Africa will beat Namibia. It does not matter where they play.

“Whether there are floodlights or there are no floodlights, South Africa will beat Namibia, definitely,” Sono concluded.

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