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Mvala wants more Bafana games in the Free State province
'I was very happy especially to play at home in front of a packed stadium like that in the Free State. What we knew as a team was that it was going to be packed,' he said.
Mothobi Mvala of South Africa reacts instructs teammates during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal match between Cape Verde and South Africa at Charles Konan Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Cote dIvoire on 3 February 2024 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Mothobi Mvala is hoping for more of Bafana Bafana’s games to be played in the Free State province following the win over Zimbabwe in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier earlier this month. The Free State Stadium was packed to capacity as supporters spurred on Bafana to a 3-1 win over The Warriors.
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Despite Bafana’s rise under Belgian coach Hugo Broos, they have struggled to attract fans to the stadium, especially in Gauteng. It was a pleasant home return for Mvala and Teboho Mokoena, who are from the province.
With Bloemfontein Celtic no longer in the DStv Premiership, the public that side has been starved off top flight football. The Mamelodi Sundowns defender is encouraged by the warm reception they got in a bid to qualify for the world football spectacle that will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“I was very happy especially to play at home in front of a packed stadium like that in the Free State. What we knew as a team was that it was going to be packed and they will be pushing us from the first minute to the 90th minute and we didn’t want to disappoint them,” he said.
‘People there love soccer’
“We wanted to leave the stadium with three points and put a smile on their faces and to also give them something that they can be proud of which I hope that we did because we know that there is no team in Bloemfontein.
“People there love soccer and we did our best and personally I also think I played well and we help the team to win. The support was amazing and I hope we will have more games in Bloemfontein.”
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Mvala is from a small town of Theunissen in the Free State which is an one hour away from Bloemfontein. Bafana are now second behind group C leaders Rwanda after four rounds of matches in the qualifiers. The road to the world cup takes a backseat for now, with the next qualifier against Lesotho set to be played only in March of next year.
