Stuart Baxter, head coach of Bafana Bafana, named on Sunday his 23-man squad for the upcoming AFCON. South Africa's squad included six professional players in European Leagues, while the rest are locally- based.
They are in group D alongside Ivory Coast, Morocco, and Namibia. They are looking for their second title, as the Bafana Bafana won their only trophy in 1996 showpiece tournament, which was hosted by South Africa, after beating Tunisia 2-0 in the final game
One- time title holders will begin their mission on June 24 against Ivory Coast Al Salam Stadium at 16:30 pm (CLT).
After only eleven-days, the tournament will be held in Egypt, which dedicated six stadiums to host this memorable event. The stadiums are as follows: Cairo, Air Defense, AL-Salam, Alexandria, Suez, and Ismailia.
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The final squad is as follows
coach: Stuart Baxter
Goalkeepers: Darren Keet (Bidvest Wits), Ronwen Williams (SuperSport United), Bruce Bvuma (Kaizer Chiefs)
Defenders: Daniel Cardoso (Chiefs), Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Chiefs), Thulani Hlatshwayo (Wits), Innocent Maela (Pirates) S’fiso Hlanti (Wits), Buhleyeza Mkhwanazi (Wits), Thansanqa Mkhize (Cape Town City FC)
Midfielders: Bongani Zungu (Amiens SC), Dean Furman (SuperSport), Kamohelo Mokotjo (Brentford FC), Tiyani Mabunda (Sundowns), Thulani Serero (SBV Vitesse), Thembinkosi Lorch (Pirates), Themba Zwane (Sundowns), Hlompho Kekana (Sundowns)
Forwards: Lebo Mothiba (Strasbourg), Percy Tau (Royal Union Saint FC), Lars Veldwuk (Sparta), Lebogang Maboe (Sundowns), Sibusiso Vilakazi (Sundowns)
[caption id="attachment_56020" align="aligncenter" width="300"] South Africa 23-man Squad[/caption]