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By Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

Football Journalist


Modise believes Bafana could have won the AFCON

“I am actually jealous, they did so well. It’s been decades since South African fans wanted to see the quality of Bafana Bafana," said the ex-Bafana player.


Bafana Bafana have been getting a lot of praise for their efforts at the Caf Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with the latest comments coming from former national team midfielder Teko Modise.

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Modise, who played for Bafana at the 2010 Fifa World Cup says the team belongs to be amongst the top footballing nations in the continent after the team finished in third place at the AFCON in Ivory Coast.

The former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder reckons people at the South African Football Association (SAFA) need to put their full weight behind Hugo Broos and his team and says once that is done we will see better results coming from the squad.

“I am actually jealous, they did so well. It’s been decades that South African fans wanted to see the quality of Bafana Bafana. I think this tournament has shown that we are a good team and we belong in that space. I think with what happened we can only grow,” Modise said on the Hollywoodbets Podcast.

“It also calls for the people who are in charge at SAFA to help us to push this vehicle going forward. We need the people who make the decisions to help the team get better, help the coach to be able to assess players, and have a bigger pool of players to choose from.”

‘Very proud’

Modise has so much confidence in the current Bafana squad and adds that should there been a few experienced players who ply their trade abroad, the team could have gone on to lift the continental competition.

“I am sure if we had three or four experienced players who play overseas we could have won the tournament, but I am very proud of the team.”

Modise started to play for Bafana in 2007 when he made his debut against Malawi during the Cosafa Cup and was kept in the team until 2012 with his final match against Poland in an international friendly.

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He hung up his boots in 2019 after spending over two years with DStv Premiership side Cape Town City.

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