Mosimane explains Bafana Bafana’s overnight flight to Kenya

Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane says South Africa chose a 01:00 flight to Kenya to give the squad as much preparation time as possible, despite the physical and mental strain of travelling immediately after their previous match.

The team arrived at approximately 06:00 and were allowed to spend most of the day resting at their hotel before completing regeneration work later in the evening.

Mosimane said the demanding schedule was the result of taking the earliest available flight out of South Africa, but believed it offered the best opportunity to preserve time ahead of the next assignment.

“The best thing was to leave in the AMs. The earliest flight we could find was to leave at 1 AM out of South Africa,” Mosimane explained.

“We landed in the morning, obviously around about six. A bit difficult because after the match you don’t sleep. You have to travel, but it’s better to save the day.”

The coach acknowledged that the players were tired after the match and the subsequent journey, with the squad also dealing with the mental effects of failing to achieve the desired result.

“They slept the whole day. We were all tired, to be honest. Tired from the match, tired from fatigue of the game, and mentally also,” he added.

“We need to get better because we didn’t get the results we wanted. So we rested and regenerated late in the evening yesterday, so that they can have enough time to rest. They look good now in the morning.”

Mosimane said there were no new concerns about fatigue before Bafana Bafana’s first training session in Kenya, which was scheduled for later in the afternoon.

He had also expected the weather to be hotter but was encouraged by the wind on arrival. Mosimane said the playing conditions could not be used as an excuse, although he wanted to inspect the pitch before reaching a final assessment.

“I thought it would be very hot, but there’s some wind, which is proper, so we can’t make excuses for that. We’re good. We’ll see how the pitch looks like, and prepare for the match,” he said.

South Africa’s coach also admitted his side could have managed the final stages of their previous match more effectively, particularly after conceding a late goal.

However, Mosimane said the team had already turned its attention to the upcoming game rather than dwelling on what had happened.

“Last-minute goal, we could have focused a little bit and handled it differently, but it’s part of football. So yeah, we’re looking forward to the next match,” he concluded.