Too much last-minute prep – Stuart Baxter

by Graeme Jackson

Wednesday Jun 12, 2019. 13:00

South Africa coach Stuart Baxter has again bemoaned the team’s preparations for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) earlier this week confirmed that the team will play a friendly against Angola on June 19 at a venue yet to be decided in Egypt. This adds to an already secured match against Ghana in Dubai on June 15.

Bafana Bafana had been camping in South Africa prior to their departure to Dubai to continue preparations, and Baxter wishes they had arranged a friendly at home, and adds that the addition of the game against Angola was a rush job.

"It's too much last minute. It's too much being at the last minute trying to solve all the problems," he said.

"I am disappointed. It would have been nice to have that interaction with the fans and to put ourselves on the line in a friendly so that we know what we are working on going forward," he added.

"But the world is not perfect, so I have to get on with it. We have done the best we can."

Bafana face a difficult Group D at the finals in Egypt in which they will face Ivory Coast, Morocco and Namibia, but the expansion of the tournament to 24 teams means they can still finish third and possibly advance into the knockout rounds.

South Africa will open their AFCON campaign against Ivory Coast on June 24, before matches against Morocco and Namibia on June 28 and July 1 respectively.