“Majority of us have played against each other in our league” Wayde Jooste

Bafana Bafana defender Wayde Jooste believes the camaraderie and familiarity within the national squad will be a major asset as South Africa prepare to face Algeria in their opening TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 fixture on Friday evening at the Mandela National Stadium.

The North Africans already have three points on the board following their win against co-hosts Uganda, while Bafana will be making their first appearance as they return to the tournament having last participated as hosts in 2014.

But Jooste is unfazed by the pressure of starting on the back foot, choosing instead to highlight the team’s unity and underdog status as their biggest weapons.

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s been that tough because the majority of us have played against each other in our respective leagues,” Jooste said.

 “Some of us have even been teammates at different clubs. So from a chemistry perspective, it’s been easy to come together and form a little family.”

The squad assembled locally before jetting off to Uganda and, according to the former AmaZulu full-back, that time together has strengthened the team’s cohesion and spirit. Jooste also believes that being relatively unknown on the international stage is an advantage for the South Africans.

“It’s a very good thing that we are an unknown quantity because they won’t know what to expect from us,” he explained.

“It will count in our favour and give us an edge in the group stages.”

With Algeria already having played their first match, Jooste said the Bafana technical team used the opportunity to do thorough analysis of their opponents, describing them as a “very direct”  and deserving team.

“They deserve to be here. They’re a very good team, but we’ve done our analysis and most of the guys have seen them in action,” he stated.

Looking ahead to Friday, Jooste stressed the importance of a positive start, especially in a group where momentum and early points can shape a team’s chances of advancing.

“In any tournament format, you want to start well. You don’t want to be playing catch-up and relying on other results. If we pick up three points in the first game, it takes a load off our shoulders and gives us the best chance of progressing.”

South Africa are grouped with Algeria, Uganda, Niger and Guinea in what promises to be a fiercely contested Group C.