DEAN Furman has simply taken criticism over his Bafana Bafana selection on the chin and says no opinion will get him down.
The SuperSport United captain has further vowed to “keep doing” what he has been doing to rack up over 40 international caps under three different coaches since making his Bafana debut in a friendly against Brazil six years ago.
There has been somewhat of a backlash about Furman’s inclusion in the latest national squad, even though the criticism has been rather unfair.
He is one of two senior players in the latest Bafana squad for the four-team tournament in Zambia, and is expected to play a key role in Stuart Baxter’s team in Ndola.
But first the 29-year-old midfield anchor will lead United against Pedro de Luanda in their Caf Confederation Cup first round, second leg match at Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow (7pm).
“I’m obviously not the most eye-catching player. I don’t have the skills, the shibobos and I don’t score 30-yard screamers every week,” admitted Furman.
“But what I do offer is consistency, hard work – I graft. Maybe what I do is unseen at times. But I wear my heart on my sleeve and I give everything, whether it’s for SuperSport or the national team.
“Everybody’s got an opinion. But I’m now going on 45 caps across three different coaches – I must be doing something right. I know over the course of time people have questioned my inclusion but it’s up to me to go prove them wrong. I’m not necessarily the player everybody wants to see there. But I offer something a little different and I’m not going to change my game.”
With six matches left, Matsatsantsa a Pitori sit outside the top eight, perilously close to rock bottom.
Furman admitted it “hurts”, saying the team shouldn’t be where it is with the quality it has.
But he backs interim coach Kaitano Tembo to steer them out of troubled waters.
“Eric Tinkler lost his job and we are very sorry for that. Ultimately we’ve been very lucky that Kaitano has remained the constant in all of this. He’s a calming influence.
“He’s allowed us to enjoy training. The boys are walking around with smiles on their faces. How we didn’t win against Maritzburg United (goalless draw) is a mystery. But we have to get ourselves out of this mess.”
United played to a goalless draw in Angola and are expected to proceed to the group stages via a home win.
