AFCON 2023: Igesund Backs Broos and Bafana Bafana to Bounce Back After Mali Loss

• Gordon Igesund has shown support for South Africa
• Bafana Bafana lost their AFCON 2023 opener to Mali
• South Africa will play neighbours Namibia on Sunday

Former Bafana Bafana coach, Gordon Igesund has emphasised the importance of South Africa backing Hugo Broos and his team after their heartbreaking loss to Mali.

Percy Tau's missed penalty and two second-half goals from the Eagles condemned the 1996 African champions to an opening-day defeat in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

According to GOAL, Igesund highlighted that inexperience cost Bafana Bafana the game against the Malians but has backed the team and the manager to turn their AFCON fortunes around.

"These young players have proven they have got a lot of quality, and we got to understand that they don't have the experience yet, but how does one get experience?

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"Nobody has become a top team without having made mistakes, and they are going to learn, and whatever we do in this competition shouldn't be judged on; 'no, we never won the tournament, so we are going to change our coach'. We need continuity there."

South Africa will hope to get their first win of the competition when they tackle neighbouring Namibia, who are joint-top of the group with three points after they defeated Tunisia in their first game.

Broos rues missed penalty by Tau

Meanwhile, Broos has attributed South Africa’s 2023 AFCON opening loss to Mali to the missed penalty by Percy Tau in the first half, CAF Online reports.

Bafana Bafana suffered a 2-0 loss to the Eagles despite a promising start in the first half that lacked the crucial finishing touch.

South Africa is hoping the Belgian coach will lead them to their first AFCON trophy since 1996 when they won the tournament as hosts.

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How South Africa can bounce back

Sports Brief also reported South Africa will need to shake off the loss and show mental fortitude as they prepare for what was always going to be a pivotal match against Namibia.

Bafana Bafana's 2-0 defeat to Mali is not fatal to their aspirations, but the outcome of the other match has put enormous pressure on them for the remaining two group games.

Broos praised his team despite their failure to capitalise on a good first-half performance, with Al Ahly forward, Percy Tau notably missing an important spot kick for South Africa.