Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams is urging the nation to rally behind the team before the World Cup, believing the support of SA fans will go a long way to propelling the team to greater heights.
“Together we can achieve so much more. With unity, with strength, we can achieve good things. We feel the support, we feel the unity,” Williams said on Wednesday morning at the team’s send-off event, organised by one their sponsors, Standard Bank, at the bank’s headquarters in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
“I urge everyone to get behind the players, get behind the team. Support us, send us all those well-wishes, pray for us. As a team we will go out there and carry the entire nation on our backs and give you our all.”
The send-off ceremony was attended by hundreds of Bafana supporters.
Williams thanked the sponsors and fans who attended. “Thank you so much for the support, for the love, for the warmth. We also really appreciate everyone who has come to show us the support, we really appreciate it and we feel it,” Williams said.
All 32 players in the preliminary squad were present at the farewell event, with Bafana coach Hugo Broos expected to announce the final 26-player team at Sefako Makgatho Presidential House in Pretoria this evening (7pm), in the presence of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Bafana are in Group A with Mexico, South Korea and Czechia at the event co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. The tournament starts on June 11 and concludes on July 19.
South Africa face Mexico in the competition’s opening game, a repeat of 2010, when the World Cup was held in SA.
It’s not yet clear when Bafana are flying out. They face Nicaragua in a warm-up match at Orlando Stadium on Friday (6pm).
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