Bafana Midfielder Nodada Wishes Ntseki Had More Time

Cape Town City midfielder Thabo Nodada feels for former national team coach Molefi Ntseki and says he wishes the tactician had “one more chance” to prove he was the right man for the job. Nodada was an unused squad member as Bafana Bafana crashed out of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals contention with a 2-0 loss to Sudan in their last preliminary match. Ntseki has since been relieved of his duties, but Nodada feels it is hard on the coach. “I wish Molefi Ntseki had another chance,” he told The COSAFA Show. “Him being a teacher meant a lot in that national team, to be able to process so much information in just seven or eight days. He was so detailed in how the team should play and how the set-up should be. “I don’t think there was any player who went onto that field not knowing what to do. It is just that when you cross the line it is not the coach, it is you and your own readiness. “I had prepared a note when I was going to the national team. I was going to thank the coach for everything, he took me and planted me on very fertile land. He gave me the chance to play [in the national team over the last 12 months]. Even when things weren’t going well at my club, he had the courage to call me back to the national team.” Nodada admits he was disappointed not to get a chance to play in Sudan as he felt he was ready to contribute to the team effort. “In the latter stages of the camp in Sudan I thought I came into my own and I was very disappointed I didn’t get the chance [to play]. Where I was mentally, I felt I was just one kick away from doing something I have not even thought about.” Also on The COSAFA Show, we speak to former Namibia international Sandro de Gouveia about that country’s first COSAFA Cup experience in 1997 and how the tournament helped to develop a Golden Generation for the Brave Warriors. And the feature interview is with Mayrilian Cruz Blanco, who is the co-founder and chair of the Sports Equity+ International Foundation.