by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG – THERE will be football galore as many African national teams are set to take advantage of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) break to test the potential of their national teams.
Bafana during their AFCON encounter in which they massacred Namibia 4-0
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) defending champions – Ivory Coast lead the Confederation of African Football (CAF) teams as they take on Benin in Amiens on 23rd March before rounding up with a tough assignment against Uruguay at the Bollaert-Delelis Stadium in Lens, France three days later.
AFCON’s bronze medallist Bafana Bafana will lock horns with Andorra on 21st March at the Annab’s 19 May 1956 Stadium before clashing with fierce rivals Algeria at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers, Algeria on 26th March.
South Africa national team head coach, Hugo Broos, named a 23-team member squad ahead of the tournament in which he seeks to test new players for the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.
The FIFA international break games came into being following requests by many national teams across the globe expressing aspirations to test themselves against their counterparts from all around the world.
“Our member associations have been telling us for a long time now of their desire to test themselves against their counterparts from all around the world, and now they can do so within the current Men’s International Match Calendar,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
He said meaningful matches would enable far more valuable footballing interaction for players, teams and fans saying the FIFA break would make a concrete contribution to the development of soccer.
The FIFA’s break matches will be contested across the world between 18-to-26 March.
– CAJ News
