Having missed the Afcon tournament where Bafana Bafana restored the nation’s pride, Orlando Pirates defender Innocent Maela addresses his ambitions.
Maela says he still wants to represent the Bafana squad under manager Hugo Broos just after their impressive Afcon displays in Ivory Coast.
Fresh from a lengthy lay-off owing to an injury, Maela is raring to start the second round of the DStv Premiership season and impress Broos.
Born in Witbank, the Nedbank Cup title holder with Pirates says he understands why Broos decided not to include him in his Afcon squad.
Maela didn’t make the cut for the Afcon squad after an injury setback, which saw him also miss most of the Pirates’ matches in the first round of the league.
“It was always going to be difficult to be included in the squad for the Afcon because I was out for a very long time,” said the Pirates captain.
“I came back towards the end of the year, but it was not enough because I think the coach had already made up his mind on who he wants in his team.”
“But, I know that it’s not over yet, I can still fight to get back into the national team. It’s all about being consistent and ensuring I give my best whenever I am on the pitch.”
“The guys (Bafana) did well. They reached the semi-finals of the Afcon and I don’t think anyone expected that.”
Meanwhile, Maela will also look to play his part for Bafana during the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June – this year’s third-place Afcon finishers are expected to renew their rivalry against Nigeria.
“Right now I am happy to be back to playing and being healthy. We didn’t end the year nicely last year,” added the seasoned defender.
“We dropped too many points in the first round and lost two important matches at the end of the year.”
“I want to focus on doing well for the team and working my way back into the Bafana squad.”
After playing eight games in the first round of the current term, the seasoned left-back could be in action when coach Jose Riveiro’s men meet Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday night at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
