Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar admits he is missing the carnival atmosphere South African fans give at Bafana Bafana matches, but did not hint at return to duty.
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The former South Africa captain was following the national team via satellite TV and told his club's website that he does miss the fans, but not playing football for the national team, ahead of their quarter-final clash with Mali on Saturday night.
The Durban support propelled Bafana to a 2-0 win against Angola and to a 2-2 draw with Morocco, and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune together with skipper Bongani Khumalo praised the fans.
Even though they packed the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday night and seemed to intimidate the Malians, the latter went on to win the game 3-1 via a penalty shootout.
Pienaar regularly tweeted about Gordon Igesund's side and their performances, and after the Angola game he stated that Oldham midfielder Dean Furman was his man-of-the-match, an award he officially received.
"I miss the supporters, but not the football," he told Everton TV. "I'm playing here every week so it's not a big thing.
"I've been watching everything and I've never seen an Africa Cup of Nations so tight. There have been a lot of draws and you can see that the competition between the teams is really high," the former Tottenham Hotspur player said.
"Hopefully South Africa can go on to the semi-finals and beyond.
"It has been a really good year for me. I hadn't played with a smile on my face for a long time and this year I just played with a smile every day. I was just happy and I enjoyed myself."
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