David Notoane’s biggest worry ahead of AFCON U23 crunch qualifiers
National Under 23 coach David Notoane has revealed his biggest worry ahead of the third and final round of the U23 Africa Cup of Nation [AFCON] qualifiers.
Notoane is hoping to select a strong squad for their back-to-back matches against Congo this month.
South Africa will host Congo on 23 March in Johannesburg before travelling for the reverse fixture set for 27 March.
However, Notoane is worried that little preparation time and the cumbersome travelling logistics could affect all his plans.
For him, everything has been worsened by the PSL‘s refusal to reschedule March end fixtures for the DStv Premiership and Motsepe Foundation Championship.
WHAT DAVID NOTOANE SAID
“The biggest challenge we have now is that we tried to have a mini-camp, but the PSL program was too tight. It’s too tight for anything to be put in place,” Notoane told FARPost.
“We still have to pick the best possible squad. You want to build a good team with integrated players. However, it’s difficult because most of the matches come outside the FIFA week.
“It breaks the rhythm of what you will be trying to do in terms of continuity. You don’t get preparation time yet that is your right as a national team coach.
“Unfortunately, our rights don’t come with the power to have games postponed or dates to be shifted because of the way the program is.”
THE THREAT THAT CONGO POSE
On the other hand, Notoane is wary of Congo. He believes have the pedigree of causing a major upset.
“We have enough talent to go through, but we are playing against a strong team [Congo]. They surprised us by beating Tunisia.
“At the same time, the biggest challenge is to have the best conditions to prepare for the match.
“The last league game for players’ availability will be a Sunday, and after that, we have to travel.
“Logistically, it’s a nightmare. You are sitting on a minimum of 12-hour flights, which goes up to 42 hours because of the logistics of travelling in Africa.”
The eighth-team tournament is set to be hosted by Morocco. As the hosts, Morocco already qualified, which leaves seven slot remaining.
Winners of the two respective third-round fixtures will therefore book a place in the tournament to be staged in June.
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