Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba has paid tribute to defender Eric Mathoho for putting the country needs ahead of everything else following the passing of his younger brother.

The 26-year-old only learnt of his younger brother’s passing after he left the country for Bafana Bafana’s World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso.

However, Mathoho decided to remain with the squad for their match at Ouagadougou’s Municipal Stadium, according to the Safa.net.

Mashaba has expressed his gratitude towards the towering defender and has paid tribute to Mathoho for his loyalty towards the national team during these difficult times.

‘I want to pay tribute to this loyal servant of the country. We had asked him to be excused if he needed to attend to the bereavement of his brother but he insisted he wanted to help the country do well in the World Cup qualifiers,’ Mashaba said.

‘Now that is what we call selfless patriotism, this is someone who is prepared to die for the country and on behalf of the entire Bafana Bafana technical team, I want to thank Tower from the bottom of my heart.’

Bafana Bafana against Burkina Faso kicks off at 20:00 on Saturday.

Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix