South Africa, who take on Mexico in Mexico City in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup in just nine days’ time, have more than enough time to acclimatise and shed the effects of jet lag.
That’s the view of Trott Moloto, who was Bafana Bafana assistant coach at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.
The team left for Mexico on Monday after their departure was postponed due to visa issues and only landed in Mexico earlier this afternoon.
They take on Jamaica in their final warm-up match on Friday.
Bafana are making a return to the global spectacle after missing three World Cups in a row.
This is also the first time they have qualified for the World Cup since the 2002 edition.
South Africa produced their best performance at the World Cup in Korea, where they scored a goal in every match, and lost out on qualifying for the knockout stages on goal difference to Paraguay.
Moloto was the assistant coach back then and believes the class of 2026 can emulate the class of 2002.
“We are there as South Africa; we have qualified, which is very important and from that qualification, you then look at our group, I mean the likes of Mexico; we have played against them in the past. I think we have set out a very prominent national team this time around,” says Trott Moloto, Former Bafana Bafana coach.
Besides the 30-hour delay in departure, Bafana Bafana will be confronted with other issues as well in Mexico, altitude and jet lag are two of them. But Moloto says South African players have the mental resilience to deal with different challenges.
“These boys, on their own with their clubs they have acquired enough experience, and they are looking forward to performing and representing South Africa. These are not schoolboys. They just have to go out there and also raise their hands to say to South Africans at home, we are representing you, and we will do our best,” Moloto added.
In 2002, Bafana recorded their first-ever win in a World Cup tournament, beating Slovenia 1-0. They eventually finished third in their group, with four points. And four points should be enough to make it past the first round this time around.
“We are not boys at a crèche, no, we are not, I think by the time we start the competition we will definitely be at our peak. We don’t have to feel pity. They are not small boys. You don’t have to feel pity for the boys; they also know, and everybody is looking forward to giving a good performance, especially when you look around the team. The experience of Ronwen Williams and Themba Zwane they have been there before. Those are the ones I think we can rely on in terms of that experience,” Moloto explains.
Moloto says unity and good harmony in the team will be key to Bafana’s success, and coach Hugo Broos has the qualities to instil that.
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