BAFANA Bafana are set to return to action when they host Zambia in an international friendly in Rustenburg next month.
Molefi Ntseki’s team haven’t been on the field since they last played in November, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, which wreaked havoc with the international Fifa calendar.
But SunSport can reveal Bafana will step out in Royal Bafokeng Stadium to face off with their Cosafa rivals in the weekend of 7-11 October, as club football steps aside.
Talks are on-going for a second opponent, which is understood to also be a Cosafa team.
Pressure has returned for Ntseki as preparation for the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Sao Tome and Principe in November.
As reported in SunSport last week, Ntseki is targeting opponents with a similar playing style to Sao Tome for the international friendlies.
Bafana were last on the pitch when they dispatched Sudan 1-0 in their Afcon qualifier at Orlando Stadium in November, and were scheduled to return for a double header against Sao Tome in March.
But that wasn’t to be as the world grappled with the pandemic, which halted sporting activities.
The pandemic has also forced the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to move the 2021 Afcon final to 2022.
This means the qualifiers, which were initially scheduled to be concluded by this month, will now be completed next March.
According to a source, Safa has secured a friendly with Zambia, and an announcement is expected soon.
Travel restrictions, brought by the lockdown, has made it impossible for federations to organise matches.
But the gradual easing of restrictions has opened up opportunities for football action, as Fifa reinstate the international calendar. Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe last month confirmed to SunSport that they were in discussions with Cosafa federations to secure two friendly matches.