ORLANDO PIRATES LEGEND ‘YUKI’ QUESTIONS SIHLANGU SELECTION

MBOMBELA – Orlando Pirates legend and former Sihlangu skipper Dennis ‘Yuki’ Masina is still wondering why some players were left out of the national team.

The former South Africa’s SuperSport United player said he was still trying to understand but could not find the reason why Mbabane Swallows striker Felix Badenhorst and Cape Town All Stars Justice Figareido were left out of the national team. Masina was among the over 100 spectators who watched Sihlangu go down to  Cape Verde during the AFCON Qualifiers that were played at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday. The Dominic Kunene-led charges lost 1-0 to the Blue Sharks, courtesy of Ryan Mendes’ goal in the 56th minute. “If I was the coach of the national team, I would definitely include the two players in my squad. You need Figareido for attacks or crosses. You need Felix for his height, areal balls and those lethal shots he can take inside the box. Besides that, Eswatini needed more people with exposure and experience; I’m not against the young players, but the coaches should make sure that they blend the young and experienced players. It was only Lindo who plays outside the country; we needed more people who would lead and show the way when the going got tougher,” said Masina.
He said, however, there were some positives from the national team.

“Okay, the team was ok defensively in the first-half and had they not defended in the first stanza; they could have come with different results. In the second-half, infact after the opponents scored, it was like a wakeup call; Sihlangu started playing well; they were aggressive in their attacks and they created more scoring opportunities. It was really encouraging and I can pick Siboniso Ngwenya and Philani Mkhontfo; who I can safely say, played well,” he added. He also highlighted the issue of development. “I think it is high time the country focuses on football development. There must be a structure that is in place to focus on the Under-15s, Under-17s and Under- 23s. Development and continuity is key. All is not lost, we can still find our way to the top,” he said. He also commended Sihlangu, saying they were good in defence. He noted that they needed to work on building from the back and attack and defend as a team.

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