Bullish Liberia coach raises Bafana legend Tovey's ire: 'He's given SA motivation'

Liberia coach Ansumana Keita's vow to 'make South Africa suffer' has raised the hackles of 1996 Africa Cup of Nations winning Bafana captain Neil Tovey, who says that kind of talk is the perfect motivation for the South Africans before their qualifier on Tuesday.

READ | 'Emotions took control': Bafana coach Broos apologises for behaviour after AFCON draw with Liberia

Keita was, naturally, in a buoyant mood on Friday when speaking to the media after his charges came from two goals behind to earn a well-deserved 2-2 draw to silence the home crowd at Orlando Stadium.

The Lone Stars coach vowed that Liberia would make Bafana "suffer" and that their home fans would make it an uncomfortable experience for the South Africans in the return leg on Tuesday (18:00, SA time) at the 22 000-seater Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium in Monrovia.

"The tactical strategy we'll use to make South Africa suffer, it will show that, yes, we want to win. We're not going to choke. We're going to play. No matter what happens, we'll play," Keita said on Friday.

"South Africa is bigger than us in football and everywhere (sic) but we are more prepared than them at this time - mentally, physically and tactically."

The draw to Liberia in Soweto placed Bafana's Afcon qualification in jeopardy.

A victory for Bafana on Tuesday in what is expected to be a hostile Monrovia venue of screaming Liberian fans would ensure that Hugo Broos and his charges can board a flight in early January 2024 for the Afcon tournament in Ivory Coast.

A defeat to a team ranked 150th in world football, compared to Bafana who is ranked 67th, will signal the end of another disappointing Afcon qualification campaign for South Africa, as they failed to make the cut for the 2021 edition.

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