By Oscar Chukwugekwu
Ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, Bafana Bafana’s opponents, Guinea, have reportedly written to CAF stating that they do not feel safe travelling to South Africa for their upcoming match.
The AFCON 2027 qualifiers are set to get underway in September, with Bafana drawn in Group D alongside Eritrea, Kenya and Guinea.
Although they will participate in the qualifiers, Kenya have already secured automatic qualification for the tournament by virtue of being co-hosts alongside Tanzania and Uganda.
As a result, Eritrea, Guinea and Bafana will effectively be competing for one qualifying spot from the group, a situation that Guinea national team coach Paulo Duarte has already expressed frustration about.
Duarte recently said that he believes the qualification process is unfair for teams drawn in the same qualifying groups as the co-host nations and that CAF should consider revising the system.
With the fixture dates yet to be confirmed by CAF, Guinea are now said to have raised concerns regarding their expected trip to South Africa.
As reported by Afrik-Foot, the Guinean Football Federation has sent a letter to CAF expressing concerns about the safety of its team when travelling to South Africa, potentially in the coming months.
There have been anti-illegal immigration protests in various parts of South Africa, with many locals calling for the deportation of undocumented foreign nationals.
CAF are said to have received the letter, and will review the matter before making a decision in due course.