'He has confidence playing every day in that space,' said the Bafana head coach.
Kamogelo Sebelebele improved after a difficult start for Bafana Bafana against Guinea. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Kamogelo Sebelebele staked his claim for a permanent hold on the Bafana Bafana right back position, with a Man-of-the-Match display in his side’s 2-1 victory over Guinea in Saturday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Group (AFCON) D qualifier.
Bafana’s Sebelebele impresses
The 24-year-old, stepping in for the injured Khuliso Mudau, was far from perfect and was given a torrid time early in the match by Guinea winger Aliou Balde. But the Orlando Pirates man improved as the game went on. Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane was certainly impressed.
“The players from Guinea are tall and strong. I was worried a bit about Sebelebele .. but he had the speed to recover and he was good in one ones” said Mosimane.
“He won Man-of-the-Match so that is unbelievable, he played well. He has confidence playing every day in that space,” added Mosimane, referring to the fact that Sebelebele is used at right back by Pirates.
Sebelebele will surely retain his place in the Bafana side as they take on Eritrea tomorrow at the Al-Salaam Stadium in Cairo in their second Group D qualifier.
Bafana arrived in Cairo on Sunday and will also face Egypt in a friendly at the Cairo International Stadium on October 4.
Eritrea are playing their ‘home’ game in Egypt because they do not have a stadium in their own country that meets Confederation of African Football (CAF) regulations.
The Red Sea Camels got a creditable 1-1 draw in their opening AFCON qualifier against Kenya in Nairobi.
Eritrea did not play any international football at all for about six years until May 2025, because of a history of their players absconding and seeking asylum in various countries.
Even after Eritrea beat Swaziland 2-1 in Mbabane in March 2026, to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory and qualify for the group stages of AFCON qualifying, seven of their ten locally-based players were reported to have absconded to South Africa.
Eritreans across the globe
It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that Eritrea have since assembled a squad made up almost entirely of players who play their football outside of Eritrea.
32-year-old midfielder Nahom Netabay, who scored Eritrea’s goal against Ghana, plays his club football in Sweden with Degerfors.
Goalkeeper Yonathan Sultan plays in the second tier of Australian football with Green Gully FC.
26-year-old striker Ali Sulieman is at Al Masry in Egypt’s Premier League.
Eritrea, on paper, should be Group D’s worst side. But Bafana must be wary, particularly as in continental football these days, the gap between the best and worst countries continues to narrow.
