Baxter disappointed after Angola pulls out of friendly match ahead of Afcon

Bafana Bafana head coach Stuart Baxter expressed his disappointment on Wednesday after Angola pulled out of their planned training match which was to serve as Bafana’s last warm-up game for the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament.

Speaking after their training session at the Aero Sports Club, just a stone throw away from their hotel, Baxter says this affected their preparations for the opening Afcon game against Ivory Coast at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo next Monday.

Bafana Bafana have had only one international friendly match which was also only a training match against Ghana last week.

This calls into question the plans by the Safa management and also the technical team coming to this tournament.

Baxter had to settle for a 11 vs 11 by his side on Wednesday. The Elephants wrapped up their preparations for Bafana’s game by walloping Zambia 4-1 in an international friendly match played in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Dutch-based striker Lars Veldwijk was buzzing in the training match on Wednesday. He didn’t only score a hat-trick but also very effective in holding the ball upfront as a traditional No. 9 against a team which resembled a starting line-up for Monday.

Baxter says he’s yet to finalise it.

Meanwhile, Bafana were also visited by the Safa President Danny Jordaan during their training match on Wednesday.

Jordaan, who is also the member of the Caf Executive Committee, is serving in the Afcon Organizing Committee as a Deputy Chairperson to Caf First Vice-President Amaju Pinnick.

In a group that also has the Moroccans and neighbours Namibians, Jordaan says the Ivoirians are a team under reconstruction. – Report by Velile Mnyandu

At the @BafanaBafana training this evening, @LarsVeldwijk has been looking very sharp. The boys in high spirits ahead of their opening game in the #AFCON2019 vs Ivory Coast ?? next Monday. #sabcnews @Hollywoodbets pic.twitter.com/Mpv3WeFqFI

— Velile Mnyandu ?? (@Veli_Mbuli) June 19, 2019