Thulani Serero feels that seeing his club Ajax Amsterdam lose their grip on the Dutch Eredivisie on the final day of the season last month, has prepared him for Bafana Bafana’s almost impossible task in their remaining Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The senior men’s national team face Gambia on Saturday desperate for maximum points in that clash and their final qualifier against Mauritania here in South Africa in September.
It is almost a certainty that Bafana, who are second from bottom in Group M having amassed just three points from four games, will not be at the continental tournament in Gabon next year.
However, Serero was adamant this week that anything can happen if they put pressure on leaders Cameroon, who face Mauritania this weekend and Gambia three months later.
“It’s a little bit of a difficult situation, but this is football,” said Serero. “I have had a good experience of that this season where I lost the championship on the last day of the season.
“We must not give up. If we go out there and put pressure on Cameroon, then there’s a chance that they can lose to Mauritania, like we did, and maybe even Gambia.”
On a thrilling final day of the Dutch league campaign, Ajax needed victory away to De Graafschap, who were already relegated, but were frustrated to a 1-1 draw that gave rivals PS Eindhoven a lifeline to clinch the title following a 3-1 win over PEC Zwolle.
Serero is still hurting from that devastating finish to a season that might have been his last after five years at Ajax.
The midfielder, in his own words, said he feels he has reached his sell by date in Holland having seen players - including coach Frank de Boer, who quit shortly after letting the league title slip - come and go during his time there.
“I was thinking about my form the other day and I think I finished strong in the team and it was good for me, and the country, to do that. I don’t know what will happen in the next couple of weeks.
“I must make some decisions because I have been there for too long with the same manager. He has now moved on, and so have a lot of other players, but I now have to show up for my country and there can be no excuses,” he said.
“It (the Afcon qualification) is not in our hands, but getting the last six points can change that.”
Serero only managed 14 league appearances for Ajax, but starting the club’s final three matches would have helped improve his sharpness for Bafana in what many believe is a dead-rubber of an encounter this weekend at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.
“My season is a story for another day because I had an ankle injury that kept me out from the start and I couldn’t get back into the team. Before I knew it, six months had gone by and the coach thought it was best if I took a break and let him know when I was ready. He played me as soon as I told him I felt I was ready,” said the 2011 PSL Footballer of the Year. @superjourno - The Star