Relebohile Mofokeng brace leads Bafana to emphatic Eritrea victory
Relebohile Mofokeng finally opened his Bafana Bafana account in style, scoring twice as South Africa thrashed Eritrea 5-0 in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Cairo.
Mosimane calls on Egyptian fans to back Bafana against Eritrea
The Eritreans are playing their home fixture at the Al Salaam Stadium because they do not have a suitable venue in their own country, giving Mosimane an opportunity to call on his strong connections in Egypt to help create a supportive atmosphere for South Africa.
Mosimane spent two years in charge of Al Ahly after being appointed in 2020, guiding the Cairo giants to two CAF Champions League titles and domestic league success. He believes that history can help Bafana receive support from the Egyptian crowd.
"The Egyptian nation has very good knowledge of Bafana Bafana. Bafana has a good history in Egypt. They know the players; they also saw them at the World Cup," Mosimane told SAFA media.
"We are saying to the Egyptians, 'we are brothers'. We might be fighting again in a few days to come, but now that we are here, we have a very good history.
"We have a very good foundation with the Egyptian federation, and we hope the Egyptian supporters come to our match and support us."
Mosimane made a specific appeal to Al Ahly supporters, while also encouraging fans of Cairo rivals Zamalek to attend.
"I am saying to the Red Devils, they must come to the match and support me against Eritrea. I am expecting them to come. Zamalekians are also good, come and support us. We need everyone's support," he added.
Wednesday's qualifier will be Mosimane's second match since succeeding the retired Hugo Broos as Bafana coach. South Africa opened their Group D campaign with a 2-1 victory over Guinea on Saturday.
Bafana will then remain in Cairo for a friendly against Egypt this weekend, with the Pharaohs having beaten South Africa in the group stage of the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Mosimane also praised South Africa's youth development after Amajita retained the COSAFA Under-20 Championship under coach Raymond Mdaka.
"It is a very inspirational story from the Under-20 national team," he said. "Ray Mdaka has done exceptionally well consistently. It shows the programmes in South Africa are good.
"We have the platform and the base, boys coming from under-14s, under-15s and under-17s, playing regularly, week in, week out. It has given us a conveyor belt and made sure our under-17s and under-20s remain strong."
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Bafana Bafana will look to build on their winning start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when they face Eritrea in Cairo on Wednesday night.
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Benni McCarthy reveals what cost Kenya victory against Eritrea in AFCON qualifier
Benni McCarthy believes Kenya’s lack of preparation was exposed in their 1-1 draw with Eritrea in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Saturday.