AFCON 1996 Final hero Mark Williams is optimistic Bafana Bafana have what it takes to succeed in Ivory Coast.
The Hugo Broos-led squad departed for the CAF Continental showpiece on Thursday morning.
They arrived at their base in Korhogo a few days ago as they look to prepare for their opening match against Mali on Tuesday. The current generation will be hoping to emulate the class of 1996 which won the first and only AFCON title for South Africa.
WHAT BAFANA BAFANA NEEDS TO GO THROUGH TO THE KNOCKOUT STAGES
“For me what is very important is winning that first game. They [must] win that first game and then against Namibia and they are definitely going to the next round,” said Williams who scored a brace during the 2-0 win against Tunisia on 3 February 1996.
“Obviously from there on they will get the likes of Cameroon or Egypt and then we can see really where Bafana ends. That is going to be their test but for me, I am hoping that they go through with Tunisia. It would be nice if they end up top.
“Which means they will get a second team but if they end up second they will get a team from the top from the other group which could be Egypt or Cameroon for that matter. I haven’t seen it yet but I think from there that’s where I see they can go to the quarterfinals.”
WHAT MARK WILLIAMS MAKE OF THE AFCON SQUAD
“There are always players that are going to be left out. He [Hugo Broos] is picking from the past experience.
“He is not picking from players that are on form now because [Iqraam] Rayners has been scoring goals for Stellies. Obviously, he feels that with the team that he knows now, he knows some of the players and the players know each other. Let’s see how he goes with it.”
RELATED STORY: Bafana Bafana doctor provides Mothobi Mvala injury update
