Jomo Sono has raved about a Bafana Bafana star who makes the likes of Themba Zwane tick in national team colours.
Bafana are gearing up for the clash of their lives on Tuesday night against Morocco at the Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro.
The CAF 2023 AFCON encounter comes in the Last 16 – the knockout stage of Africa’s premier soccer showpiece – and the loser is dumped out of the tournament.
‘Bra J’, formerly coach of Bafana, has singled out one player for praise ahead of the crucial encounter.
“I don’t know the boy [Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole]; you must tell him that if you hear me praise a player, you must know he’s doing the right things. I hardly praise players, but that boy is a hard worker,” Sono told FARPost in a telephonic interview.
The legendary ‘Mjomani’ explained the elements that set the CD Tondela midfielder apart.
“I think his work rate is second to none. He plays more for the team than himself. Some players play for themselves; they play for individual awards. But that boy covers everyone in midfield.
“Yes, he’s not fancy, but as a coach, you understand all the dirty work he does in midfield. People like Themba Zwane get freedom because of him. He’s there when he [Zwane] moves.”
HUGO BROOS ON YAYA SITHOLE AND TEBOHO MOKOENA COMBINATION
Bafana coach Hugo Broos on Friday said the 24-year-old midfielder was “the guy with energy”. He said the man nicknamed ‘Yaya’ had made strides in his game in the last couple of months.
“Yaya is more the guy with energy, with the power. Teboho [Mokoena] is more of a guy who’s a better football player, but both make a very good team in the midfield,” he told journalists in a virtual press conference.
“So, I’m happy certainly; from Teboho, we knew he was a very good player in his role, but what I see from Sithole now here at AFCON, he made a big progress, and he’s a big help for Teboho in the midfield. In recuperation for the ball, for the power and again, they are very complimentary, and I’m very happy with them,” Broos said.
Bafana star Sithole believes if they get it right in midfield against Morocco, “the team is going very far”.
“Our combination with Teboho Mokoena in the middle has been working perfectly,” he said in response to FARPost. “I think we complement each other very well. If we can keep playing the way we have, the team is going to go very far.”
He added that Tuesday night’s game was a massive encounter for them. “I think this game we’re going to play is massive for us, not just us as players, but also everyone back home. Everyone will be watching this game back home. If we do well tomorrow, everyone will be happy.”
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