Captain Ronwen Williams has urged South Africans to rally behind the national team as Bafana Bafana put in the final preparations for the upcoming AFCON.
Bafana will be looking to lift only their second AFCON title when they jet off to, having last won the competition in 1996.But the side is confident having qualifying top of their group in the AFCON qualifiers, ahead of number one rated Morocco.
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Speaking to SAFA media on Monday at Bafana’s training camp in Stellenbosch, Williams urged South Africans to get behind the team.
"We need to dream high as a country, but be realistic as well. You know we have not been part of the tournament for a very long time. It does get tough," Williams said.
"Having to play every three or four days, it is not easy. It is tough because you are playing high-quality games of consequence. It is mentally tough.
"It can drain one, you know. So, that’s where myself and the other senior players will share our experiences."
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Bafana kick-off their AFCON campaign with a Group E clash against Mali on 16 January before meeting Namibia on 21 January and wrapping up the group stage action against Tunisia on 24 January.
"It is not the most difficult group. We have, in Tunisia and Mali, two good opponents – teams who are nearly always at that level," Williams added.
"Mali are playing a kind of home game (because the Ivory Coast is) near to the border of Mali. So, they will be very motivated. It will not be easy. Then you have Namibia, maybe they are the team that nobody expects (to do well).
"But we played against them a few months ago and they are well organised. It will be tough but there are some possibilities and if we can reach our best level, then we have a chance to go through the group stages."
Bafana take on Lesotho in a practice match on Wednesday before flying to Ivory Coast on Thursday.
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