Mark Fish: I would like to see nothing less than a semi-final performance
January 17, 2024
Former defender and assistant coach Mark Fish has backed Bafana Bafana to secure a semi-final berth at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fish won the Africa Cup of Nations title with South Africa in 1996. He worked with the team during the 2019 AFCON as an assistant coach.
“I have said for a while now, I would like to see nothing less than a semi-final performance from Bafana Bafana. A semi-final performance means South African football is moving in the right direction,” Fish told ESPN.
“This, for me, is a good opportunity for the coach and the players to say that we are South Africa and that we are back on the continent with a bang.
“The little bit of experience that I had behind the scenes or with the Bafana team in 2019 – you got to see all the things that should not be in football when you are in a national team camp.
“Does the coach, Hugo Broos, have the support of the South African Football Association? Are SAFA doing whatever they possibly can to make sure the coach’s job is just to make sure the team goes out on the field to perform?
South Africa, who failed to qualify for the 2021 AFCON, have been pooled with Mali, Tunisia and Namibia this time. Fish’s comments came before Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Mali.
“I think fans back home don’t expect anything, do we? We’ve been so disappointed in the team’s performances in previous AFCONs and not even qualifying for AFCONs,” added Fish.
South Africa’s next fixture will be against Namibia on Sunday. Namibia beat Tunisia 1-0 earlier this week.
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Mark Fish: I would like to see nothing less than a semi-final performance
Former defender and assistant coach Mark Fish has backed Bafana Bafana to secure a semi-final berth at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Fish won the Africa Cup of Nations title with South Africa in 1996. He worked with the team during the 2019 AFCON as an assistant coach.
“I have said for a while now, I would like to see nothing less than a semi-final performance from Bafana Bafana. A semi-final performance means South African football is moving in the right direction,” Fish told ESPN.
“This, for me, is a good opportunity for the coach and the players to say that we are South Africa and that we are back on the continent with a bang.
“The little bit of experience that I had behind the scenes or with the Bafana team in 2019 – you got to see all the things that should not be in football when you are in a national team camp.
“Does the coach, Hugo Broos, have the support of the South African Football Association? Are SAFA doing whatever they possibly can to make sure the coach’s job is just to make sure the team goes out on the field to perform?
South Africa, who failed to qualify for the 2021 AFCON, have been pooled with Mali, Tunisia and Namibia this time. Fish’s comments came before Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat to Mali.
“I think fans back home don’t expect anything, do we? We’ve been so disappointed in the team’s performances in previous AFCONs and not even qualifying for AFCONs,” added Fish.
South Africa’s next fixture will be against Namibia on Sunday. Namibia beat Tunisia 1-0 earlier this week.