Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams believes his team is immune to all sorts of challenges and stressed the importance of beating Benin in a World Cup qualifier – a game he labels “big” – at Abidjan’s Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny at 6pm on Tuesday night.
Bafana’s preparations suffered a setback because they were barred from training at the match venue yesterday due to Ivory Coast hosting Gambia in their own World Cup qualifier there last night.
Williams said Bafana can handle any kind of challenge and expects Benin to be a formidable opponent. The Bafana skipper feels tonight’s Group C games will paint a clearer picture as to who will win the pool and qualify for next year’s World Cup, to be jointly hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada. Bafana top the Group with 10 points, with second-placed Benin two behind them.
“Benin is a very good team but we believe in our qualities, we believe in what we’ve been building over the last few years. It’s going to be a tough one, a lot of challenges [are expected] but I think this team is strong enough to overcome all the challenges,” Williams said.
“We know how important this game is for the group. We know that we can open a gap and we know that the gap can be closed as well, so this is a big, big game in these qualifying rounds. It’s the halfway mark now and after [the match], you’ll have an idea who are the favourites in the group.”
Bafana coach Hugo Broos was incensed after the team couldn’t train at Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny on Monday.
“I am really not satisfied with the decision that we can’t have a pre-match training in the stadium where the game will take place,” Broos fumed. “I think this is a Fifa rule that every team has the right to have a preliminary training [session] before the game in the stadium where they’ll play.
“It is bad when people who make the rules don’t follow the rules ... but I know if ... after the game I am not at the press conference, there will be a sanction. So we have to follow the rules.
“But where are the rules now? And you will tell me that’s for both teams? I don’t think so. I think Benin has already trained in that stadium because they were here before us. It’s all nice to say, 'follow the rules, follow this'. This is not honest and this is not correct.”
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