South Africa’s Bafana Bafana have arrived safely in Nairobi and are preparing for Tuesday evening’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Kenya at Nyayo National Stadium.
The national team travelled to East Africa only a few hours after Friday’s 2-2 draw with the Harambee Stars at Orlando Amstel Arena. Despite the demanding schedule, coach Pitso Mosimane said the squad had made the most of its first day in Kenya.
Mosimane said the decision to take the earliest available flight was intended to maximise the team’s recovery time.
“We did the best we could given the circumstances. The best option was to leave early in the morning. The first available flight from South Africa to Kenya was at 01:00, and we landed in Kenya at about 06:00,” he said on Sunday.
“It is difficult because you do not sleep after the match because of the journey, but it is better to save time.”
The coach added that the players had been able to rest after arriving at their hotel, which he described as comfortable and problem-free.
“We arrived well, everything is perfect, the hotel is good and we have no complaints. The boys rested when they arrived. Yesterday, they slept throughout the day,” Mosimane said.
“To be honest, we were all tired – tired from the match, from the effort we had put in and mentally as well. We have to improve because we did not get the results we expected. So we rested and recovered late last night to give them enough time to recover.”
South Africa were due to hold their first training session in Kenya late on Sunday, with the further session intended to assess the conditions before Tuesday’s match.
Mosimane said the squad appeared refreshed and that no player had reported fatigue.
“Yes, they looked fit this morning and nobody is complaining about tiredness,” he said.
“We will train later this afternoon to see what the conditions are like. The weather is good. I thought it would be very hot, but there is a bit of wind, which is normal, so we cannot use that as an excuse.”
