Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba is still to outline his plans for 2016 to the South African Football Association‚ but he is likely to do so in the coming weeks.
The national side face back-to-back African Nations Cup qualifiers against Cameroon in late March‚ but are not likely to be active before then‚ Tiso Black Star Group Digital understands.
The first opportunity to arrange a friendly fixture for the team actually comes after the Indomitable Lions matches‚ which are scheduled to be played on March 23 (away) and March 26 (home).
The Fifa window for the matches opens only two days before the first game and closes on March 29‚ when South Africa could conceivably host a friendly game.
Bafana likely need to win both of those games to get themselves back into the running for a place at the Nations Cup finals in Gabon next year as they currently trail qualification pool-leaders Cameroon by five points.
It is also understood that South Africa had reopened negotiations with Argentina over a friendly match to be played this year‚ possibly as the Nelson Mandela Challenge.
The two countries were close to agreeing to a fixture in 2014 before the South Americans pulled out.
“We are negotiating with a number of nations for friendly matches in 2016 and we have recognised the need to play so-called bigger countries for both experience for the players and Fifa World Ranking points‚” Safa spokesman Dominic Chimhavi said‚ unwilling to confirm if one of those was Argentina.
“We have not been doing well with our ranking recently and one way to push it up quickly is to take on top-ranked teams‚ the big guns of the game.
“We have played Spain and Brazil in recent years and those are the types of opposition we are seeking now.
“We need to make sure we expose our players to the best and also to what it is like to play away in these countries‚ like we did with the games against Costa Rica and Honduras .”
Meanwhile‚ Safa technical director Neil Tovey is to head to Malawi for a meeting with his counterparts from across the southern African region.
The summit‚ organised by Fifa‚ will involve an exchange of ideas across a number of areas as well as presentations to help associations set out their plans for 2016
Mashaba likely to seek friendlies to bolster Fifa ranking
The national side face back-to-back African Nations Cup qualifiers against Cameroon in late March‚ but are not likely to be active before then‚ Tiso Black Star Group Digital understands.
The first opportunity to arrange a friendly fixture for the team actually comes after the Indomitable Lions matches‚ which are scheduled to be played on March 23 (away) and March 26 (home).
The Fifa window for the matches opens only two days before the first game and closes on March 29‚ when South Africa could conceivably host a friendly game.
Bafana likely need to win both of those games to get themselves back into the running for a place at the Nations Cup finals in Gabon next year as they currently trail qualification pool-leaders Cameroon by five points.
It is also understood that South Africa had reopened negotiations with Argentina over a friendly match to be played this year‚ possibly as the Nelson Mandela Challenge.
The two countries were close to agreeing to a fixture in 2014 before the South Americans pulled out.
“We are negotiating with a number of nations for friendly matches in 2016 and we have recognised the need to play so-called bigger countries for both experience for the players and Fifa World Ranking points‚” Safa spokesman Dominic Chimhavi said‚ unwilling to confirm if one of those was Argentina.
“We have not been doing well with our ranking recently and one way to push it up quickly is to take on top-ranked teams‚ the big guns of the game.
“We have played Spain and Brazil in recent years and those are the types of opposition we are seeking now.
“We need to make sure we expose our players to the best and also to what it is like to play away in these countries‚ like we did with the games against Costa Rica and Honduras .”
Meanwhile‚ Safa technical director Neil Tovey is to head to Malawi for a meeting with his counterparts from across the southern African region.
The summit‚ organised by Fifa‚ will involve an exchange of ideas across a number of areas as well as presentations to help associations set out their plans for 2016
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