Under-23 coach David Notoane explained that he asked Baxter to have Mokoena in his team for the upcoming U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola. The AFCON serves as a qualifier for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
“No, it does not bother me because it’s the national team. It does not bother me, so what I have to do now is work hard and try to see myself being back in the national team [Bafana Bafana]. Now I have to focus on the under-23s and focus on trying to qualify for the Olympics,” said the midfielder, who was recently awarded with the Absa Premiership Goal of the Month award for January.
Mokoena’s experience will come in handy for the under-23s. He’s played for the senior national team in the AFCOn qualifiers and he was part of the national under-20 that played at the FIFA World Cup in 2017.
“I feel I will be able to contribute. I will tell the guys what to expect and what not to expect. But what’s important is the team work.”