Bafana Bafana head coach Gordon Igesund unveiled 23-man squad to represent South Africa in upcoming 2014 CAF African Nations Champions (CHAN) that kicks off on Saturday, 11 January and will be hosted in three cities – Cape Town, Polokwane and Bloemfontein.

The CHAN tournament is a tournament for soccer players playing in their domestic league.

“It is just unfortunate that I will not have players from Orlando Pirates, Amazulu and Ajax Cape Town but all in all I am excited that the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) came to an agreement that works for all parties. It would have been great to have more options but I am not complaining,” said Igesund.

“It is going to be a tough tournament because every team that comes here wants to win and no team is now a pushover in international football. But I can tell you now that we are going to have a very competitive team that will go out there and do their best.“

The Bafana Bafana mentor has also urged fans to buy their tickets for the tournament.

“Ït is important that we have full stadium for the matches as it gives the players an extra boost to do well. We urge all the football fans to come out in numbers to support not only the host nation, but also the tournament in general. With that said, we would also like to pass our gratitude for the support we received during AFCON tournament and over the last few months,” added Igesund.

Bafana Bafana will assemble for camp on Thursday, 02 January 2014 in Cape Town to continue preparations for the tournament.

South Africa will open the tournament with a clash against Mozambique on Saturday, 11 January at the Cape Town Stadium. Kickoff is at 17h00.

There will be 32 matches played in 16 match days.

 Bafana Bafana Squad for 2014 CHAN: