Ronwen Williams said he got 'goosebumps' seeing Nelson Mandela's name on Uganda's home stadium. Picture: Stephen Mayamba/BackpagePix
Ronwen Williams wants Bafana Bafana to channel the spirit of Madiba as they face up to Uganda in the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala on Friday.
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There should be a celebratory mood around this 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group K qualifier, with Bafana and Uganda having both already made it the showpiece event in Morocco at the end of next year.
Speaking inside the stadium named after the former South African president and struggle icon, Bafana captain Williams waxed lyrical about Mandela.
“It is a proud moment, we feel at home,” he said.
“When we drove in and I saw the name I got goosebumps. What Mandela has done for Africa as a whole speaks volumes, and we must go out and fight (against Uganda) and not give up. We must let his spirit be a motivations for us tomorrow.
“We will play in his remembrance and go out and try and make him proud. I know he will be looking down and smiling, happy we qualified.”
The pressure on both sides for Friday’s match was lifted after South Sudan’s surprise home win over Congo-Brazzaville on Thursday. This meant that Bafana and Uganda could not be caught in Group K.
“Congratulations to South Africa and Uganfa for qualifying,” added Williams.
“But that doesn’t change anything going into tomorrow’s game. It has been a wonderful year (Bafana grabbed a bronze medal at the Africa Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast, and are in a good position in 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying).
“We want to keep building on that. It is going to be tough (against Uganda) we are looking forward to it and excited. The week has been amazing. We have got some players back who have been injured and have lost a few players (to injury). We are playing on their behalf.
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“It has been a long journey and we are proud of our achievements of qualifying for back-to-back AFCONs.”
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