Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Veli Mothwa says they need to fight for a win for captain Ronwen Williams over his unbelievable sacrifices to be with the squad.
Williams missed the 0-0 draw against eSwatini on Friday due to an injury and remained with the squad despite the birth of his newborn baby.
It’s been confirmed that Williams and six other Mamelodi Sundowns teammates will travel directly to Angola for their opening Africa Football League game against Petro de Luanda.
“Congrats to Ronwen, we also said that [it’s the crazy life of football], you know what’s happening now in the camp, we have players who want to work hard for the national team, no matter any circumstances, if you are a professional footballer, yes you want to spend time with your family but when duty calls, you need to be there,” Mothwa told iDiski Times.
“What Ronza did now, being with us after a newborn baby came, for us it means a lot – the message is clear to the squad, togetherness is better than nothing, even though there’s negativity from the outside, we need to stick together in the camp.
“Whoever they bring will know the culture of the national team. The minute we’re combined, together and stick to one goal with what coach wants us to do, everything that is outside [opinions] we don’t care about but when it comes to family, like what Ronza did now, having a newborn baby and being here – it shows leadership and character.
“Ronza is our leader, he chose to be with us, he wants to see us succeed, so we have to succeed with him and dedicate these games to what Ronza [sacrificed] for us.”
Bafana coach Hugo Broos also confirmed he will be in goal when they face the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations hosts on Tuesday evening, barring any last-minute hiccups.
“Yes, there’s no doubt about it, unless there should be something happening tonight on the last training but we played with Ronwen in goal [last night], that is why we kept him with us,” Broos said.
“We spoke to the doctor and he promised Ronwen would be ready for Tuesday, so we made the right choice.”
Ivory Coast played to a 1-1 draw with Morocco at Le Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny on Saturday, where they host South Africa tomorrow at 21h00.
