After Amajita's success in the junior Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in May and their good run in the Fifa U-20 World Cup in Chile recently, former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Hlompho Kekana expects several players to graduate to the senior national team in the future.
Kekana, who was impressed by the performance of Amajita in both Afcon and the World Cup, said the youngsters deserve to be in Bafana Bafana set-up.
Players such as goalkeeper Fletcher Smythe-Lowe, Tylon Smith and Gomolemo Kekana have been outstanding for Amajita.
“It is so refreshing to see these boys coming from the Afcon and still see the familiar faces in terms of continuity ... and I think we need to be that country that graduates players,” Kekana told the media during the Kay Motsepe Schools Championship finals in Soshanguve, east of Pretoria, on Saturday.
“From the U-20, I think we need to see a lot of them in Bafana Bafana set-up in the near future.”
With Bafana playing Rwanda in their final match of the Fifa World Cup qualifier at Mbombela Stadium tomorrow (6pm), Kekana said it will be a disaster if Bafana don't qualify.
Bafana need to beat Rwanda and hope Nigeria beat Benin in the other match of Group C to qualify for the World Cup, to be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico next year.
“If I look at this generation, I do believe that they deserve to go to these major tournaments, particularly with the amount of performance that they keep giving. They are the first generation to bring bronze [Afcon in Ivory Coast last year] here after many years; I thought they would be that generation that would be going to the World Cup,” he said.
“The last time we qualified for the World Cup was 23 years ago and we can't be that country – especially with the amount of talent that we have and our league the way it is, so organised and competitive – that fails to participate in these major tournaments.
“This is the generation that needs to go there and make sure that they represent us very well as South Africans.”
Sowetan
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