MagRush | October 11, 2019

The 25th Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup between South Africa (SA – Bafana Bafana) and Mali will be played at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, on Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 15:00.

The afternoon kick-off will be the first recognized match for the new SA head coach Molefi Ntseki. He will discharge his virgin instructions at senior level assisted by former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Andrew Arendse and Ex-Kaizer Chiefs winger, Aurther Zwane.

The South African Football Association (SAFA), the custodian of football in the country, failed to secure a friendly game and a potential replacement which would have given Ntseki a chance to cut his first teeth in the senior national team last month.

The September 7, 2019 scheduled games against Zambia and later, Madagascar, were called off consecutively at short notice after rampant riots against illegal drug-peddling, human trafficking and trades of counterfeit goods saw African nationals fear for their lives within South African borders.

In solidarity, some African countries denounced actions allegedly perceived as “xenophobic attacks” and boycotted SA products ranging from telecoms services rendered by MTN, broadcasting services by MultiChoice, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) by retail giant Shoprite and a ban on a plethora of songs or music by SA artists.

The Sunday game against Mali will be the first competitive clash before Afcon qualifiers next month. As reported on this publication on September 6, 2019, South Africa will face Ghana away (Nov. 14, 2019) and five days later, host Sudan (home – Nov. 19, 2019) in the 2021 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers.