Mali head coach, Eric Chelle says the fact that most South African players play domestically is not a disadvantage. On the contrary, the coach believes that this could work to South Africa’s advantage.
Chelle was speaking from Korhogo’s Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium where the West Africans are preparing to kick off their 13th TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations campaign against South Africa on Tuesday evening.
The last TotalEnergies CAF AFCON meeting between the two sides was when South Africa were hosts in 2013 where the Eagles edged them on penalties during the quarter-finals.
They met again in 2019 during a friendly in South Africa where Bafana Bafana emerged as 2-0 victors.
Coach Hugo Broos’ squad is mainly made up of locally based players, with a few exceptions such as reigning CAF Interclub-player of the Year, Percy Tau who is plying his trade at Egypt’s Al Ahly.
“They all play in the same league and so we respect this team as they are former winners of the competition. They may not have a lot of players overseas but the fact that they play in the same league means that they know each other very well, which is a great advantage in such a competition. They are not to be underestimated” warned the former defender.
“South Africa has been participating for several years in AFCON. We don’t take them lightly and they have actually won the AFCON. We are aware of their strengths and weaknesses, but we have also prepared well for this match” concluded the coach.
