The Sunday Mail
GUINEA national football team interim coach Mohamed Bongoura has declared war on Sihlangu, ahead their AFCON 2017 qualifier slated for the Somhlolo National Stadium today.
Speaking upon their arrival at the King Mswati III International Airport, Bongoura said they were in Swaziland for nothing but a win, in order to boost their chances of making it through to the continent’s showpiece finals in Gabon.
“We are ready for war, following our intensified preparations of the match in South Africa. We want to overturn the first leg loss and further fight for the qualification spot.
“We are ready for the challenge, that will be thrown by the opposition, as my team is geared up for the match.
“We respect Swaziland as one of our group opposition teams but we have a reputation and mission to fulfill at a country” he said.
When asked about the effect of the artificial turf at the Somhlolo National Stadium, Bongoura said they have been training on the facility in South Africa throughout the week.
“My players will not have any problems of playing on the artificial surface. They are professionals and must do the job no matter what the circumstances,” Bongoura further said.
Bangoura was appointed the interim coach following the resignation of French born coach Louis Fernandez two weeks ago.
The nation’s pride will be looking to compete a double over the West Africans, whom they beat 2-1 in the first leg match played in Casablanca, Morocco, in September last year.
The two teams are tied on five points with Guinea having a better goal difference over the locals.
Meanwhile, Bangoura has admitted that the installation of the FIFA normalisation Committee affected their AFCON 2017 qualifiers preparations for the game against Sihlangu.
The coach said they had to do a lot of counselling in order to keep the players focused ahead of their trip to the Swaziland.
“It is true we had a challenge ahead of this tie. But we have since managed to keep them focused for this match. All this has been put to rest and the focus is now on the game.”
The committee was appointed by FIFA following internal wrangles affecting the Federation, which resulted in all football competitions in the country being halted.
The committee members were selected by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and were tasked with organising the FGF elections by 28 February2017. – Swazi Observer
