admin
Cape Town — Bafana Bafana’s friendly against Zambia could be called off this weekend due to xenophobic attacks.
According to SABC Sport’s journalist Thabiso Mosia, the encounter could be hanging in the balance due to the xenophobic attacks that have affected Gauteng.
News24 reported that protesters and looters have targeted foreigners in different parts of Gauteng over the past few days.
According to Mosia, the attacks have put pressure on Zambia Football Association ahead of Saturday’s match at the Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka.
Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00 on Saturday.
Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki and his squad are currently in Johannesburg and are expected to depart for Zambia tomorrow.
This will be Ntseki’s first official game in charge since he was appointed permanently this past weekend.
According to Mosia, SAFA are currently trying to find a replacement opponent for this weekend if the match does not take place.
This match against Zambia will be part of the preparations for the 2021 Afcon qualifiers which commence in November.
Meanwhile, eight countries are vying to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup which will include 32 teams for the first time, Fifa said yesterday.
Belgium and Bolivia have withdrawn from the original list of 10 nations ahead of the September 2 deadline for candidate submissions. A decision on the host will be announced in May.
The eight nations still in competition are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and South Africa.
South Korea have indicated they will seek to co-host the event with North Korea.
France hosted 24 teams for the 2019 World Cup which proved so successful that Fifa said it had decided to expand the event to 32 teams to boost the growth of the women’s game. — Sport24-AFP.
Sidumisile Mabena