{
  "id": 10948640,
  "title": "Two key Bafana Bafana players out due to injury for Eritrea clash",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/two-key-bafana-bafana-players-out-due-to-injury-for-eritrea-clash",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T12:53:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/two-key-bafana-bafana-players-out-due-to-injury-for-eritrea-clash/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two prominent members of the South African national football team, Teboho Mokoena and Aubrey Modiba, will miss the upcoming Group D Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Eritrea in Cairo, Egypt. Both players suffered injuries during their hard-fought victory over Guinea in Soweto on Saturday and are also in doubt for the subsequent international friendly against Egypt on Sunday. This absence is a significant setback for Bafana Bafana, as Mokoena and Modiba are considered key players in the team's lineup. Despite their unavailability, Mosimane, the Bafana Bafana manager, emphasized the importance of respecting Eritrea, a team currently ranked 184th in the world. He noted that Eritrea has already qualified for the tournament and highlighted the threat posed by their fast striker, a top scorer known for his speed and accuracy in set pieces. The manager stressed that Bafana Bafana must be cautious of this player and acknowledged the need for improvement, given their recent narrow defeat against Kenya in a shock result. Bafana Bafana's captain, Ronwen Williams, expressed the team's determination to secure points and progress quickly in the AFCON qualifiers, with the primary goal of boosting team morale and allowing players a chance to showcase their skills.",
  "summary": "A second successive victory in their 2027 AFCON qualifiers, will put Bafana in the pound seats",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Citizen",
        "title": "Bafana’s Pitso warns of threat from Eritrea striker",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/bafanas-pitso-warns-of-threat-from-eritrea-striker",
        "published": "2026-09-30T09:16:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "MATCH DAY | Mosimane targets win against Eritrea as the Bafana Bafana coach returns to second home, Egypt",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/match-day-mosimane-targets-win-against-eritrea-as-the-bafana-bafana",
        "published": "2026-09-30T13:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}