Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira says former president Nelson Mandela played a massive role in their win over Denmark in Atteridgeville on Saturday.
The South Africans beat the Danes 1-0 courtesy of Katlego Mphela’s second-half strike to stretch their unbeaten run to 12 games, and Parreira says ‘Madiba Magic’ did the trick again after he met the team on Thursday.
“He didn’t make any speech, but his presence is so inspiring for the team and the country. It was so emotional to see him there and everyone was so happy. I’m sure it helps the team a lot when we play,” Parreira says.
Meanwhile, the 67-year-old has also rejected criticism of the Jabulani match-ball. Many high-profile players have slammed the 2010 ball, saying it behaves erratically, but Parreira says they have had no problems with it.
“My players have been training with it for the past three months and are not complaining,” he says.