- Liberia coach revealed Laffor’s role against South Africa
- Keita said ex-Downs forward gave insights into Bafana stars
- Laffor played with and against some of current SA players
WHAT HAPPENED? Laffor is part of Keita’s backroom staff and the tactician explained the role he played in the Lone Stars’ 2-2 draw with South Africa when they came from two goals down to secure a point in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Friday.
The 38-year-old spent most of his career in South Africa, turning out for Jomo Cosmos, SuperSport United, Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United. It was during his time with the Brazilians that he established himself as a club legend, winning five PSL titles as well as a Caf Champions League, between 2012 and 2020.
He played with and against a number of current Bafana Bafana players with Percy Tau and Themba Zwane among his teammates at Sundowns and he seems to have used the information gathered over the years to good effect for his national team.
WHAT DID HE SAY? “Anthony Laffor knows the players in South Africa and he told us about them, gave us pieces of advice, and trust me, it’s exactly what went wrong,” Keita said, as quoted by iDiski Times.
“He was confident we could get a draw or win, and I was confident too, the players were too. But Anthony with us, he gave us great motivation.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The draw gave Liberia confidence of securing an unlikely ticket to next year’s tournament given they will be buoyed by home support when they host South Africa in the return leg on Tuesday.
Victory for Liberia in Monrovia will complicate matters for Bafana Bafana who face already qualified Morocco in their last group game. Given head-to-head records determine who qualifies, South Africa will be virtually out of the running before the final match in June.
WHAT’S NEXT? Liberia host South Africa in Monrovia in the return leg match on Tuesday.
