Preparations going well for Bafana ahead of Afcon opener

The first day in Côte d’Ivoire seemed to go off well for Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos and his men ahead of the start of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The team share their surroundings with the three other teams in their group – Namibia, Mali and Tunisia.

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Situated along the main road, the village is a mere 10 minutes for the airport and the training grounds, which makes its location an ideal spot.

Bafana prepare for Mali Afcon opener

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The long travel and the delays at both OR Tambo International Airport and in Abidjan saw the team only getting to bed about 02h00 in the early hours of the morning, South Africa time, and due to the small domestic flight between the capital and Korhogo, most of the luggage only arrived at about  13h00 on Friday 12 January 2024.

Bafana were officially welcomed by the Confederation of African Football at the 34^th edition of the AFCON, a tournament that Côte d’Ivoire will be hosting for the first time since 1984. The General Coordinator welcomed Bafana Bafana officially and handed over the plaque to captain Ronwen Williams as an induction into the tournament.

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“This pitch is wonderful. It’s really good when we have all we need to prepare and these grounds are very good for training,” said Bafana coach Broos after their first session.

The AFCON officially starts today (Saturday 13 January 2024) and the South African senior men’s national team will play their first match against Mali on Tuesday 16 January 2024.

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