Mosimane confirms Modiba hamstring concern ahead of Eritrea qualifier

Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says Aubrey Modiba has a tight hamstring after being substituted during South Africa’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea.

The left-back went down in the second half and was replaced by Samkelo Kabini, who later scored the winning goal as South Africa began Mosimane’s second spell in charge with a 2-1 victory.

The result puts Bafana Bafana top of Group D. They will play Eritrea in Cairo on Wednesday, aiming to take six points from their opening two matches.

Kabini is now expected to start at left-back against Eritrea after his decisive contribution against Guinea. Mosimane also has Mamelodi Sundowns defender Fawaaz Basadien available as an alternative.

Speaking at his post-match news conference, Mosimane said Modiba’s workload had contributed to the problem and explained why having a 30-player squad was important.

“Aubrey is overloaded. My fullbacks were on duty tonight. So, Aubrey is overloaded, but we have Kabini. Sebelebele is younger and he take the load. He can run all the time. Aubrey’s got a tight hamstring, which is not nice for us,” Mosimane said.

“But at least we still have Basadien, right? And we still have Kabini. Hence 30 players. You can see now people are falling off and we just played one match.”

Kabini’s goal was his first for Bafana Bafana and secured victory in Mosimane’s first match since returning for a second spell as national-team coach.

Mosimane acknowledged the demands placed on the football association to provide such a large squad, but said the depth was necessary for a team competing at that level.

“I know it’s not easy for the football association to be giving me 30 players, but if you want to be at that level, this is the reality,” he added.

The other Group D fixture between Kenya and Eritrea ended in a 1-1 draw.

That result leaves South Africa with the chance to strengthen their position at the top of the section in their next match. A win against Eritrea would give Bafana Bafana maximum points from their first two qualifiers and make Wednesday’s game especially important in the group standings.