We’ll be at AFCON 2023, declares Bafana captain Williams

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has declared that they will be at the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper has credited head coach Hugo Broos for the positive mentality within the squad since the Belgian mentor took over.

Despite their failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup under Broos, Williams says the club has inherited a fighting spirit from the coach.

He was speaking ahead of Bafana Bafanas’ international friendly encounters against Mozambique and Angola in Mbombela.

They will start with a match against the Mambas on Thursday at 8:30 pm and the Palancas Negras of Angola on Sunday afternoon.

HUGO BROOS IMPACT

“The coach has mentioned it now that it’s the ambition that he’s got, and it rubs off on us as players,” said the 30-year-old.

“We proved in the World cup qualifying campaign that we had it. No one gave us a chance, but he gave us all the belief that we can achieve good things. We showed that we have the capabilities of doing it and that thing to keep going on.

“We get it from the coach, and he always says even though there are failures, continue believing. Continue dreaming big, and that’s what we have learned from him. As he said, we will be in Afcon 2023, and we are looking forward to it. We also look forward to the challenges coming up in March,” he said.

“I have been in the team for such a long time, and I have learned so much over the years, and just the ambitions that the coach has is remarkable, which has rubbed off on us as players.”

Bafana Bafana will use the two matches to prepare for the crucial Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Liberia in March. South Africa is in Group K alongside Morocco and Lone Stars of Liberia. 

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