South Africa’s national team is set to face Congo tomorrow at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, with the match scheduled for 19h00. However, the Congolese team is only expected to arrive on matchday due to administrative issues back home.
Reports from Congolese media suggest that a disagreement between the Football Federation (Fecofoot) and the government resulted in officials being locked out of their offices earlier this week.
Despite these setbacks for Congo, South Africa’s coach, Hugo Broos, emphasized that his team cannot assume this will impact the Congolese players’ performance.
“We must be careful not to think that these issues will affect their readiness,” Broos said. “Professional players always aim to win, especially with AFCON qualification on the line.”
Broos also encouraged South African fans to come out and support the team, noting that a strong crowd can inspire a good performance.
“Let’s aim to see the strong South Africa we’ve shown over the past few months and hopefully end the game with a victory,” he added.