CHAN: Bafana Bafana panicking ahead of Malawi game — Mponda

Football Association of Malawi Media

Malawi national football team assistant coach Peter Mponda has suggested that South Africa’s Bafana Bafana are panicking ahead of Sunday’s match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.

The former Black Leopards skipper said this in Pretoria ahead of Malawi and South Africa's African Nations Championship (CHAN) final qualifying round second leg.

With Malawi having won the CHAN second round first leg match 1-0 last weekend, Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki has bolstered his squad with Neo Maema, Ndumulelo Maphangule, Victor Letsoalo, Siyanda Msani, Simon Ramabu, and Kamogelo Sebelebele.

According to Mponda, Ntseki’s decision to recall the PSL stars confirms he is panicking.

“We are not losing sleep because they have brought in some players. Even the players they have brought in are not big-name players. They are just ordinary players like the ones they brought to Malawi. We are prepared for them. It also shows there is panic in their camp,” he said.

The FCB Nyasa Big Bullets mentor has since cautioned the Flames players against approaching the CHAN second leg match with a defensive mindset.

“We know the importance of this game. We know it is not going to be easy. We need to dig deep to get a result.  The boys are prepared. We have warned them that we shouldn’t get carried away, as they are leading 1-0. This is another game. We need to tread carefully. We need to find a balance between attacking and defending. We need to take our game to Loftus Stadium. We cannot just sit back because we have a 1-0 lead [...] it's not a healthy lead,” Mponda said.

The aggregate winner between the Flames and Bafana Bafana will qualify for the CHAN finals scheduled for August 2025. Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania will host the finals.