Rapoo says Orlando Pirates’ CAF Champions League experience can drive South Africa’s Olympic bid

Neo Rapoo believes his experience of continental football with Orlando Pirates can help South Africa’s Under-23 side overcome Madagascar and move closer to qualification for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2028 Olympic Games.

South Africa are preparing at the University of Pretoria for the second-round, first-leg qualifier against Madagascar at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Rapoo, who is part of the Pirates squad competing in the CAF Champions League, said the demands of club football on the continent had prepared him for the challenge facing the junior national team.

“Of course, you know, at the club I am at, at the moment we’re at CAF, I mean, you know how hard it is to play in the Champions League, so even here it is preparing me mentally and physically as well, that going there I should not be lazy and soft, because I know they are very strong there,” Rapoo told journalists at the team’s training base.

The 21-year-old said the squad understood the importance of approaching the tie with the correct attitude as they seek to progress through the qualifying process.

“Even with the guys here, I think they understand that it is mandatory for us to go with the right mindset, to finish in the top stage,” he added.

The winner of the two-leg contest will meet either Rwanda or Cameroon in the third and final qualifying round for the U23 AFCON, which will be hosted by Egypt next year.

The top two teams at that tournament will qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.

Overseas-based players offer added strength

Rapoo also highlighted the number of South African players currently based abroad, saying their experience could strengthen the squad’s ambitions.

“You know South Africa is a top country in terms of football and you see a lot of youngsters playing abroad now, and as I said earlier, it’s important to have those overseas-based players, because they know their playing style abroad and all that,” he said.

The former Siwelele wing-back believes those players can make an important contribution if South Africa reaches the U23 AFCON and the Olympics.

“And they are going to help us even when we go to the Olympics, AFCON and all that. It’s for us to do well as a country and to build on the foundation and keep the streak alive, as South Africa being at the Olympics,” Rapoo said.