Afcon 2013: Igesund blames players as Bafana draw with Cape Verde

Following South Africa’s goalless draw with Cape Verde in their Afcon 2013 opener on Saturday, coach Gordon Igesund has taken aim at his players, accusing them of losing their nerve.

Igesund, who is Bafana Bafana’s third coach hosting the 2010 World Cup, made no excuses for what was a poor display at Soccer City.

The smallest company in the tournament, Cape Verde have a population of just 500,000 and are Afcon debutants.

They proved to be more than a match for hosts South Africa and had the best chance of the match through Platini,

“Not too many of my players came to the party in the first half, which was a total waste of time," Igesund said.

"We weren't much better in the second.

"We now have to go for it in our next two games against Angola and Morocco. Of course we wanted to win and get a goal and get all three points, and we are not doomed yet. But we need to improve.

"Credit to Cape Verde. They are a good, well-organised team and play like Europeans. They defended well, slowed the game right down in the second half and got the point they came looking for."

Image: Getty