Bafana Bafana will soon make their comeback in the Africa Cup of Nations with the tournament kicking off this weekend in the Ivory Coast.
Celebrated Al Ahly star Percy Tau discusses his confidence and the pressure on Bafana to go far in this year's competition.
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“I’ve been preparing well. We’re confident with the way we’ve been doing things. Still early days though but everybody is confident about the tournament we’re going into and we’re looking forward to the tournament,” Tau told SAFA media.
The 1996 champions missed out on the last edition in Cameroon two years ago when previous coach Molefi Ntseki failed to qualify South Africa for the continent's biggest footballing event.
Under current mentor, Belgian coach Hugo Broos, the South Africans open up their campaign in Group E against West African outfit Mali next Tuesday.
“We just have to train harder and stay in the field. It’s going to be difficult, it’s always difficult for us to satisfy the public. But we’ve always wanted to be a team that will always try to compete.
"Even the last time I went to Egypt with the team we wanted to compete and try our best to go all the way. But people sometimes have a different opinion about the process we’re in because they say that based on us missing out the last time,” he added.
The Al Ahly SC forward is one of Bafana's star players hoping to carry the team all the way and has the experience of South Africa's last Afcon edition five years ago when they had lost in the quarter-finals to Nigeria, but upset hosts Egypt in the last 16.
It’s a chance for the former Mamelodi Sundowns star man to turn heads on the continent after he's already impressed fans with his heroics in the Caf Champions League in recent years.
“It’s sad we don’t have the other players but anyhow that’s the decision of the coach and also some other decisions. But anyhow we’re confident with the group that we have as I’m one of the senior guys here,” Tau said.
“And we’ll try and see at training how we can form partnerships with the guys, and like I said, the responsibility is not solely on me but anyhow, like I said, the guys have to come to play, and I also try, and put a good word in for me to try and help the team.
"But I’m confident the guys will help me,” he added.
Tau has been in fine form for Ahly who recently participated in the FIFA Club World Cup where he scored in the third-place 4-2 victory over Urawa Reds in Jeddah.
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