Booth backs Makhanya and Okon to lead Bafana Bafana defence against Kenya

Former Bafana Bafana captain Matthew Booth believes Olwethu Makhanya and Ime Okon should continue as South Africa’s central defensive partnership for the home leg of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Kenya.

Bafana Bafana host Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars at Orlando Stadium on 13 November before travelling to Nairobi for the return match on 17 November.

The centre-back positions are among the most competitive areas of Pitso Mosimane’s squad. Mbekezeli Mbokazi has returned after missing the previous camp through injury, while Makhanya, Okon and Lebone Seema have also been selected for the two matches.

Booth said the strength of the available options had created a difficult selection decision for Mosimane.

“It’s a very difficult question to answer, and this is a very good problem for Pitso to have. We have a raft of extremely good centre-backs and also young centre-backs, which is rather unusual,” Booth told Soccer Laduma.

“When the likes of (Khulumani) Ndamane, (Nkosinathi) Sibisi and (Aden) McCarthy are not able to crack the squad, then you know that the four or five centre-backs that Pitso has chosen are quality.”

Booth, who previously played for Mamelodi Sundowns, said Makhanya and Okon had done enough in recent matches to retain their places.

He prefers a left-footed defender alongside a right-footed centre-back, but believes performances should take priority when selecting the team.

“I’m a firm believer in balance, so I love to have a left-footed centre-back with a right-footed centre-back. But on this occasion, Makhanya and Okon did so well against Guinea and Eritrea as a pairing,” he said.

The former defender suggested Mbokazi could be introduced for the away fixture after being given time to recover from his journey.

“So, to answer your question, I would most likely stick with Okon and Makhanya at home against Kenya, and then perhaps, to allow Mbokazi time to get over his jet lag, try to rest, recover from jet lag, and perhaps play him with Okon or Makhanya for the away leg, which I would imagine will be a much tougher affair, and you might need a bit of robustness from Mbokazi,” Booth said.

He added that Mosimane’s final decision would depend on how the players arrived in camp and performed during training.

“That’s how I would play it, but it really just depends on a number of factors: how they arrive in camp and how they train during the week,” he said.

Although Seema impressed during the friendly against Egypt, Booth would not replace the partnership that played in the competitive matches against Guinea and Eritrea.

“Even though Seema did superbly well against Egypt in the friendly, I think I would stick to the competitive pairing from the Guinea-Eritrea games. I don’t think they deserve to be dropped.”