Joel Natalino Santana announces team to face Chile
National Team Coach, Joel Natalino Santana, expects a good and competitive Friendly Match against Chile on Wednesday 11 February 2009 at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane which kicks off at 8.30pm. Santana, who announced his selection of Players this morning, has retained the core of the Team that has seen to Bafana Bafana's five games unbeaten run.
“I don't like changing the Team unless it's unavoidable,” says Santana. “We have to keep the shape of the Team while we work towards creating a side that will contest the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We have eight games that we must play to prepare for the FIFA Confederations Cup in June. Four of these games fall under the FIFA calendar and the rest outside, so to achieve this we are using two groups of Players. The first composing of local-based Players and the second, composing a mix that includes overseas-based players.
“The level of the games is also not the same. The local-based players have been exciting us and it is important that we give them experience through regular games and by mixing them with overseas-based players so that their overseas experience rubbing off them. The choice of Chile as an opponent is a good one for us as a country. They are a South American team which makes it exciting because each country from this continent offer a different style of play, which is what we want because when you prepare for the World Cup it is important to be exposed to different styles of play.
The Bafana Bafana team that you will see against Chile is made of the regular Players, which however does not mean it's the final team for the Confederations Cup and the World Cup. The door is still wide open for other players which is why it is important that Players must continue being serious at their clubs wherever they are, because that is part of the process we use to monitor Players for selection to National Team,” Santana says.
Team
1. BOOTH Matthew Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. (SA)
2. DAVIDS Lance SuperSport United F.C. (SA)
3. DIKGACOI Kagisho Golden Arrows F.C. (SA)
4. GAXA Siboniso Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. (SA)
5. GOULD Morgan SuperSport United F.C. (SA)
6. JOSEPHS Moeneeb Orlando Pirates F.C. (SA)
7. KHENYEZA Mabhudi Ajax Cape Town F.C. (SA)
8. MARLIN Calvin Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. (SA)
9. MASILELA Tsepo Maccabi Haifa F.C. (Israel)
10. MCCARTHY Benedict Blackburn Rovers F.C. (England)
11. MODISE Teko Orlando Pirates F.C. (SA)
12. MODUBI Masilo KVC Westerlo (Belgium)
13. MOKOENA Aaron Blackburn Rovers F.C. (England)
14. MOON Bryce Panathinaikos F.C. (Greece)
15. MORIRI Surprise Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. (SA)
16. MORRIS Nasief R.C Recreativo de Huelva (Spain)
17. NKOSI Siyabonga Maccabi Netanya (Israel)
18. PARKER Bernard Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
19. PIENAAR Steven Everton F.C (England)
20. SIBAYA MacBeth Rubin Kazan F.C. (Russia)
21. THWALA Lucas Orlando Pirates F.C. (SA)
22. TSHABALALA Siphiwe Kaizer Chiefs F.C. (SA)
23. TSUTSULUPA Lefa Moroka Swallows F.C. (SA)
24. VAN HEERDEN Elrio Club Brugge (Belgium)
