Bafana players are all fit – coach

All South Africa’s squad members for the upcoming African Nations Cup finals are fit, coach Gordon Igesund said after the match against Norway in Cape Town on Tuesday.

He said any lingering doubts over Thulani Serero, Katlego Mphela, Tsepo Masilela and Bernard Parker had been put to rest by game time for all four in the 1-0 loss suffered in Bafana Bafana’s penultimate friendly international.

“All the players are fit now,” the coach insisted as Bafana Bafana readied to depart for Johannesburg on Wednesday, ahead of their last warm-up game at the weekend against Algeria.

“Serero could have gone on a little longer and I rested Parker a little through the week. Masilela got a full 90 minutes to see what he is capable of and I was always planning on giving Mphela just the first half to play,” he said in analysis of the recent Bafana injury list.

Serero had been a gamble when Igesund picked him for the first 23-man squad after his long term lay off with a groin problem.

Mphela had already shown his way back after his long term injury while Masilela was also chosen in a little bit of gamble after a lack of game time as he has worked his way back from knee problem.

Parker went into camp with an ankle injury which Bafana medical staff have nursed over the last weeks.

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