On Bafana Bafana's upcoming friendlies, against Namibia and DR Congo
With only a few months remaining before the Africa Cup of Nations starts next year in Cote d'Ivoire, the friendly matches against Namibia and DR Congo are very important for our preparations and I hope our guys take them seriously. While I was playing for the national team, I knew that I had to make these (kinds of) games count because I was aware of how many good central defenders who wanted to play for the national team we had. We had a lot of quality defenders both home and abroad and they all wanted to play for the national team. I had to make these matches count and the fact that it's a cap, it's something important. I always enjoyed playing for the national team, it doesn't matter who we were playing against. It was the same feeling for the players who were in the national team at the time because we all wanted to be part of a big tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations or even the FIFA World Cup at the end. We all wanted to show whoever was the coach at the time that we wanted to be in the final 23-man squad going to a tournament.
I was always nervous when I wore the national team colours because I knew how important it was to get a national team cap. To be part of the squad, once you get the taste of it and an opportunity to be in the camp, you are always looking forward to be there. When the national coach goes to the press conference to announce the final 23-man squad that will be going to the tournament, as a player you will be sitting there asking yourself, "Is my name there? Am I part of the team?", and that is when the nerve wreck really kicks in. But (I'm) not writing off the fact that every game leading up to the tournament is a build-up to the occasion. These two games against Namibia and DR Congo are also build-ups to that big occasion and, as a player, you need to prove to the coach, show him and make it difficult for him to make his selection. So, every minute counts.
On his own experience of the Africa Cup of Nations
The very first Africa Cup of Nations I went to was in 1998, Burkina Faso, and at the time I was young and didn't know a great deal about the tournament. The only time I had watched it on TV was when Bafana Bafana won it in 1996. I could see on TV how big the occasion was. The first time I was selected in 1998, Jomo Sono called me to his office to let me know that I had been called up to the national team for the COSAFA Cup match against Namibia. At the time, Trott Moloto was in charge and I couldn't believe it because I was still young. I knew that I was going to be rubbing shoulders with other great players like the late Phil Masinga. There were lots of young players in that team, including Matthew Booth, and that made it easy for me to acclimatize. When I was selected for the 1998 Afcon squad, I had mixed emotions. I wanted to tell Jomo I was not ready, but because of the belief that Jomo had in me, I was looking forward to it. The good thing was that I went to an U23 tournament in Toulon and that gave me the feel that big occasions are manageable. Yes, the Africa Cup of Nations is a totally different ball game, but the Toulon tournament was a build-up and it gave me confidence. When I came back, Bayer Leverkusen in Germany wanted me, Ajax Amsterdam wanted me, and confidence was there. In 1998, we went on to reach the final. Yes, I didn't play a single match, but it was one of my highlights. But when I was playing regularly in 2000, we went on to reach the quarter-finals in Mali. That was very tough and enjoyable because I was playing and also one of the important players in the team as well.
On his impressions of the current crop
In the current team under Hugo Bross, having the likes of Lyle Foster scoring goals in the English Premier League – not just any league – and other players doing well overseas, that, for me, is encouraging for us as a national team. We can see that there is a structure now and we know who is our goalkeeper, we know who is the spine of our defence, we know that Teboho Mokoena will be there in midfield, we know that Foster will be up front. There is an identity that we never had. When the boys are playing, there is a bit of a rhythm in our team. When the ball leaves Rowen Williams, it will go to Teboho Mokoena in the middle and if he can't find him, it will go to the wingers. To have Zakhele Lepasa from Orlando Pirates scoring goals week in and week out is good to see. There is a lot of encouragement and confidence amongst the guys and us scouts in the office, we can see that confidence rubs onto us as well. I'm sure that some of our fans – as we know there have been complaints that we don't qualify for big tournaments – right now we have qualified and the fans will be the number 12th player to the boys this weekend and at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament next year. The boys will go out there and do well for the country and I wish them the best of luck.
Aaron Mokoena,
Former Bafana Bafana captain
