Cape Town - Dean Furman has been named captain of Bafana Bafana ahead of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan in Durban.
Furman takes over the captain’s armband after former skipper Senzo Meyiwa was shot dead in Vosloorus three weeks ago.
Bafana Bafana coach Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba had delayed naming Meyiwa’s successor until last night before opting for the midfielder who plays his club football for Doncaster Rovers in England.
Furman, 26, made his Bafana debut in 2012 under previous national coach Gordon Igesund.
South Africa need three points against Sudan at Moses Mabhida Stadium to guarantee their spot at next year’s tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
Mashaba also opted for Darren Keet to replace Meyiwa in goal. Keet, who plays for Belgium club KV Kortrijk, will start after being on the bench in each of the four qualifiers to date in which Meyiwa had played a starring role.
Meanwhile, Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula put the boot into Bafana midfielder May Mahlangu, who cited fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal from the Bafana Bafana squad earlier this week.
Addressing the media at the team hotel on Friday after he wished the squad well for the game against Sudan, Mbalula said he supported the SA Football Association’s decision to indefinitely ban the midfielder who wrote from Sweden to say that he had played a lot of games and needed rest.
“When it comes to patriotism we must put our feelings aside and deal with the issue on principle. People on Twitter and Facebook are saying the decision is harsh, and that it shouldn’t happen to so and so,” the minister said.
“To simply abandon the country just like that is really uncalled for. We say to May Mahlangu, thank you for all your services, but in these instances we won’t take the side of a player. Those that advised him gave him the wrong advice.”
Mbalula also defended his criticism of the Bafana Bafana team as “a bunch of losers” when they failed to win the Afcon Championship under Igesund on home soil in January this year, and labelled the current group “a bunch of winners who deserve the accolade”.
“It is good for the nation and the team to qualify for Afcon. This is a new chapter altogether. Shakes has given young players a chance; he’s going for players nobody expected to be selected, and youngsters who have never kicked a ball in the PSL. We will see the rewards in the longer term.”
Equatorial Guinea was on Friday named to host next year’s Afcon tournament after Morocco was stripped of the event, having asked for it to be postponed over fears of the spread of Ebola, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said.
Weekend Argus