South Africa to Face Mali in Friendly Ahead of AFCON 2015
As part of their final preparations for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana will play a friendly match against Mali on January 9 in Bitam, Gabon, according to Africa Top Sports.
This match will follow a first warm-up clash against Zambia’s Chipolopolo, scheduled for January 4, 2015, at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg. The South African Football Association is also working on organizing a third friendly, possibly against Cameroon, although an agreement has not yet been finalized.
South Africa is drawn into Group C, widely considered the “Group of Death,” alongside Senegal, Ghana, and Algeria. Mali and Cameroon, meanwhile, are part of Group D with Ivory Coast and Guinea.
Coach Shakes Mashaba recently unveiled a preliminary squad of 34 players, and these friendlies will play a crucial role in finalizing the squad and fine-tuning tactics before the tournament kicks off.
