Botswana defender Thatoyaone Ditlhokwe - Photo Courtesy Chiefs website.
Botswana defender Thatoyaone Ditlhokwe believes sealing their ticket to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco was a more bigger responsibility.
The Zebras, as they are affectionately known, secured their second participation at the biennial tournament after making their first appearance 12 years ago. The achievement came after the Southern African nation held continental giants Egypt to a 1-1 draw in Cairo on 19 November, 2024, for the all-important point.
“It's a dream come true for every player to represent their country on the biggest stage in African football," he says. We all dream of that but, qualifying for the AFCON and making it happen was a much more a bigger responsibility,” Ditlhokwe, who plays for Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa told the club’s official website.
“We must admit that it’s been difficult, especially for a nation like ours. It feels like a battle that we fought for a lifetime and finally we have hurdled over everything and made it through.”
Ditlhokwe hailed his teammates for the success by saying: “have seen the enormous contribution of everyone who was involved in this campaign from when it started till the very last second in Egypt.
"Their contributions cannot go unmentioned; they are equally important as mine. We have fought so hard to redeem ourselves from the pit that we found ourselves in after the first two games and clearly nobody gave us a chance, but my boys believed.”
The Zebras finished second in the group behind the Pharaohs.
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