No blues for Broos as he announces Bafana squad.

Bafana Bafana boss, Hugo Broos, has announced his preliminary squad for the final AFCON qualifier against Morocco on June 17 at FNB Stadium.

With both sides having already qualified for Ivory Coast 2024, the match will give Broos an opportunity to begin his preparations for the final tournament early.

While the squad includes mostly the usual suspects, with Broos possibly looking to maintain some consistency, one glaring absentee from the squad is Burnley forward, Lyle Foster.

Among the new faces, the squad includes Iqraam Rayners who has been a revelation since returning to Stellenbosch FC, Given Msimango from TS Galaxy, and Kobamelo Kodisang, a player whom a lot of mzansi's football supporters have been calling for.

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Broos will announce his final squad early next month, but before that, a mini camp will be held from May 31 to June 7, and it will give Broos enough time to prepare and make a decision on his final squad.

Bafana Bafana 34-man preliminary Squad:

Goalkeepers:

Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Veli Mothwa (AmaZulu FC)
Ricardo Goss (SuperSport United)
Melusi Buthelezi (TS Galaxy)

Defenders:

Sydney Mobbie (Sekhukhune United)
Khuliso Mudau (Mamelodi Sundowns
Thapelo Morena (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Given Msimango (TS Galaxy)
Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates
Nkosnathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates)
Siyanda Xulu (Toran Tovuz)
Taariq Fielies (Cape Town City)
Grant Kekana (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Mothobi Mvala (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Aubrey Modiba(Mamelodi Sundowns)

Midfielders:

Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Bathusi Aubaas (TS Galaxy)
Njabulo Blom (St Louis City)
Grant Margeman (SuperSport United)
Miguel Timm (Orlando Pirates)
Sphelele Mkhuilise (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Luke Le Roux (Varberg BoiS)
Themba Zwane (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Thapelo Maseko (SuperSport United)

Forwards:

Monnapule Saleng (Orlando Pirates)
Zakhele Lepasa (SuperSport United)
Cassius Mailuila (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Kobamelo Kodisang (Moreirense)
Khanyisa Mayo (Cape Town City)
Mihlali Mayambela (Aris Limissol)
Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Minessota)
Percy Tau (Al Ahly SC)
Pule Mmodi (Lamontville Golden Arrows)
Iqraam Rayners (Stellenbosch FC)

Would you crucify Broos for selecting Sirino?

Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder, Gaston Sirino. Image: Twitter

Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder, Gaston Sirino, who joined the Brazilians in the 2017/18 season, has earned himself South African citizenship, which makes him eligible to play for Bafana Bafana.

The Uruguayan dynamo, has proved beyond reasonable doubt his talent since he arrived in South Africa, and his numbers back him up.

Sirino has appeared 170 times for Sundowns across all competitions, scoring 39 goals, and chirping in with 43 assists, that's 82 goal contributions in total!

With Bafana having qualified for AFCON 2024 in Ivory Coast, Hugo Broos would want to take his strongest squad to the tournament, to ensure that Bafana don't go there just to add numbers, but to compete.

Sirino, who is in his sixth year in South Africa, can be one of the players to strengthen Bafana, and his coach, Rulani Mokwena, believes the 32-year-old can add value to the national team.

"If he has the things [meets the criteria] and everything is possible I think he can add value, of course,"Mokwena said as quoted by Times Live. https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2023-04-11-not-even-a-discussion-mokwena-says-sundowns-sirino-could-add-value-for-bafana/

"But I don’t select the national team. That’s the hard part — there are so many good players in this country.

"I don’t even think if there’s a good player available it should be a discussion."

Sirino himself, has come out to pledge his willingness to represent Bafana:

"I have had a great time in this beautiful country. I love everything about it and if I get presented with the chance to don the national team colours I would jump at the opportunity, but the decision does not rest with me" he told Mamelodi Sundowns media department.

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"There is no player born in South America who has played for Bafana Bafana and if I receive the call I would be happy to represent this beautiful nation."

Talent aside, what else makes Sirino, a foreigner, a good prospect for Bafana?

Sirino's Caf Champions League experience means he is well versed when it comes to the rigors of African football.

He can hold his own against the best that Africa has to offer, having proven his worth with Sundowns on many an occasion.

Added to his experience, is his style of play.

When he joined Sundowns, he looked like he had been playing for them for years! That's because his style of play is aligned to that of South African players.

He is quick, blessed with excellent technique, he can improvise, which makes him highly unpredictable, he can create and score goals, which is backed up by his numbers.

Without a doubt, Sirino can add real value to Bafana.

But, would Broos be crucified for selecting him?

Probably yes, a lot of people would not be happy with Sirino's inclusion, and that will all come from a place of sentimentality, not logic.

The game of football has long moved towards globalization, ditching the tendency to attach sentimental value to national teams in favor of becoming more competitive on the global stage.

This has seen a lot of players representing countries that are not of their birth, such a trend has not really caught on in South Africa, where a lot of sentimental value is still attached to the game, to the detriment of progress.

While Broos would take a lot of flak for selecting Sirino, in a South Africa that is determined to be amongst the best in the world, such a decision would be welcome.

As long as Sirino is head and shoulders above the rest in his position in terms of talent and experience, and he is eligible to represent the country.

Which, by all means, he is! 

Now that Bafana have qualified for AFCON, let Broos finish what he started.

Bafana coach, Hugo Broos. Image credit: Lorenz Kohler Social Media. 

Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, ditched sophistication in favor of efficiency to ensure that his side beat Liberia 2-1 on Tuesday at the
Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.

The crucial victory, achieved through a work-men like performance, booked Bafana a place at the 2024 AFCON to be hosted by Ivory Coast in January.

The weight of the match, and the conditions it was played under, saw Bafana enjoying only 37% of the ball, 10 goal attempts and four shots on target, with two of them converted to goals by Zakhele Lepasa 19' and Mihlali Mayambela 53'.

Despite a not so easy on the eye performance, Bafana managed to keep Liberia at only two shots on target, although they enjoyed the lion's share of possession, 68%, and 13 goal attempts.

Ugly win, yes, but very important. Sometimes in football, beauty is just an aesthetic.

Now that we have qualified, it is time to get down to some serious business for Broos and SAFA, that of ensuring that we have a strong, well prepared Bafana team for Ivory Coast 2024.

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Expecting Bafana to go and challenge for the title would be an illusion, we are maybe 10 years away from really putting up a strong continental challenge, but we can compete.

Friendlies against strong opposition will be key for the team. And maybe it is time for Broos to be more consistent with his selection, which will help with the synergy amongst the players.

At best, the AFCON 2024 participation will do wonders for Bafana's chances to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Honestly, we can't expect miracles from poor ol' Broos, considering the players at his disposal, but we can expect better than the embarrassments of the past.

A World Cup qualification, Broos, our good Sir, please. 

South Africa as a football nation: A dying dream.

Image: Twitter

Last night, SA Under-23 side, led by David Notoane, saw their dream of participating in the AFCON U23 tournament to be held in Morocco, and the 2024 Paris Olympics die a sad death.

This comes after they failed to beat Congo at home in the first leg last week on Thursday. They drew 1-1, which meant they had a difficult task of trying to beat Congo away, something they couldn't achieve as the game ended goalless.

As I write this, Bafana Bafana are putting final touches to their preparations for the crunch AFCON 2024 qualifier against Liberia, to be played tonight at the
Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.

Bafana need to beat Liberia away from home after giving away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 on Friday night at Orlando Stadium.

Bafana had a straightforward passage to AFCON 2024 to be held in Ivory Coast.

All they had to do was to beat 150th ranked Liberia twice to qualify from a three nations group after Zimbabwe were suspended.

But somehow, our national team managed to make such a simple task the most difficult one. Now their qualification hopes hang by a Liberia thread.

Earlier this month, AFCON Under-20 Championships were held in Egypt, a tournament won by Senegal after beating Gambia 2-0 in the final at Cairo International Stadium.

South Africa were notable absentees in the tournament after failing to make it past the COSAFA qualification tournament.

That meant our U20s missed out on a chance to gain valuable international experience, and giving U20 World Cup qualification a go.

In February, African Nations Championships (CHAN), were held in Algeria, a tournament won by Senegal after beating the hosts 5-4 on penalties.

Again, South Africa, a nation that is still holding on to an illusion of viewing itself as a football powerhouse in Africa, were missing in action.

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In the domestic front, Mamelodi Sundowns are more than 20 points ahead of the rest in the Dstv Premiership log, and well on their way to a sixth league title in a row.

While two of South Africa's biggest clubs, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are involved in a dogfight for second spot, which is currently occupied by SuperSport United.

How did we get here? One may ask, a point where two of the country's giants have become so ordinary, and our men's national teams have become a joke?

Only the powers that be have all the answers, but as things stand, whether Bafana qualifies for Ivory Coast 2024 ahead of Liberia or not, the dream of South Africa as a football nation is dying a slow and painful death.

Mosimane runs the rule over the Broos.

Al Ahli Saudi coach, Pitso Mosimane. Image: Twitter

If there is a coach who is fearless when it comes to speaking his mind, it is Pitso Mosimane.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly SC coach, who is currently based in Saudi Arabia with Al Ahli Saudi, has said his piece on Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos.

Broos, who is also prone to shooting from the hip, is under deep scrutiny after his Bafana side gave away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Liberia.

Mosimane has come out to say that he is taken aback by the things said by Broos.

"Sometimes our coach says what he wants to say, any time any day, I listened to a voice clip [on Wednesday], he said that he’s responsible for AFCON but nobody must blame him for the World Cup [failure]," Mosimane said as quoted by iDiski Times. https://www.idiskitimes.co.za/bafana-bafana/mosimane-on-broos-sometimes-coach-says-what-he-wants/

"I think when you are a national [team] coach, it’s AFCON and the World Cup hey, so maybe he was told that he’s not responsible for the results of the World Cup, I mean how do you say that – I don’t why he said that.

"But anyone, I think Coach Broos has done well by unveiling young players and all that at the beginning of course, it’s a little bit different now, Themba Zwane is back, Percy [Tau] is back, which is good – I think we will qualify for AFCON, we only need four points.

"I’ve seen Liberia play against Morocco, in Morocco, we will qualify. But sometimes coach Broos says whatever he wants to say, I get taken aback and as a South African citizen and as a coach, sometimes."

While Mosimane conceded that the things uttered by Broos to the media could reflect his personality, he believes the Belgian mentor has no excuse not to lead South Africa to the next world cup.

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"But that’s his own personality and philosophy and how he looks at our country, I don’t know – what’s important is focusing on results, take us to AFCON, very well that’s what we want and we have no excuse not to make the World Cup, the next World Cup? I mean it’s’ nine countries, I mean how can we miss that? We won’t miss that."

Incidentally, South African football fans believe Mosimane should be recalled to lead Bafana Bafana, with no more faith shown in Broos after the Liberia saga. 

Bafana Bafana: A true reflection of the sorry state of South African football.

Image credit: Lorenz Kohler Twitter

For Friday night's crucial encounter against Liberia, Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, did everything almost right, except for the poor second half substitutions.

His starting line-up included six Mamelodi Sundowns players, a team that is currently the best when it comes to South African football.

On top of the Sundowns players, there was Lyle Foster, probably South Africa's best export at the moment. There was Percy Tau, who doing well for Al Ahly, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane, who is also enjoying some good form in the MLS.

Broos's line-up, in essence, was arguably the best that Mzansi has to offer, yet they failed to beat Liberia, who are ranked 150th by Fifa.

The 2-2 draw, which might see Bafana failing to qualify for AFCON in Ivory Coast next year January, was a true reflection of the standard of South African football.

In the domestic league, Sundowns have no peers, they are more than 20 points ahead of two of the country's biggest teams, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

Pirates and Chiefs, in a South Africa with a healthy state of football, should be the biggest domestic suppliers of Bafana playing personnel.

But that is not the case, simply because the two giants don't have enough quality in their ranks.

Pirates's best player at the moment is Monnapule Saleng, who, in all honesty, has a long way to go when it comes to international football.

As for Chiefs, they can't even provide the national team with a single player.

Let us say for example, that Amakhosi were the Manchester United of South African football, which in a way, they are!

Now imagine a Man United without a player in the England squad, would that not be a disaster?

Also Read: https://safootballtxt.blogspot.com/2023/03/broos-can-go-but-quality-of-bafana-will.html?m=1

Moving on, let us look at our foreign players, and where they are playing their football.

Our most expensive export at the moment, Lyle Foster, is playing in the English Championship.

When you look at the EPL, La Liga, Ligue One, and the Serie A, there are many African players doing well for their clubs, but South Africans are missing.

Do we even have a Serie A ready player in this country? I doubt it.

So, while it hurts to see Bafana giving away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home against Liberia, maybe there is a truth that we have to accept.

And that truth is, international football has left us so far behind, we are left with the likes of Liberia as our peers. 

Broos can go, but the quality of Bafana will remain the same, problem not solved.

This article will be short and sweet, like Broos's post match conference.

If there is one thing Bafana Bafana knows how to do very well, disappointing the nation takes the cake! They are so good at it, they have no competitors.

On Friday evening at Orlando Stadium, Bafana were at their disappointing best again, giving away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 against Liberia, a result that has left their AFCON qualification hopes in jeopardy.

As is always the case, Hugo Broos will take the fall for the result, with his second half substitutions not doing him any favours.

Broos should have done better when it comes to managing the game through calculated substitutions.

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For starters, Luke Le Roux was having a nightmare of a second half, Broos had no business keeping him on the pitch, Sithole, or even Timm, should have been brought on in his place.

Zwane was not at his best, but maybe his substitution came too early, Bafana needed to keep possession, and use the ball intelligently in the final third, in other words, they still needed Zwane to stay a little longer on the pitch.

The coach's changes might have cost Bafana the game, but there is a bigger problem than that, and that is the quality of our players.

Here is a game where Bafana enjoyed 55% of not so profitable possession, I must say.

They fashioned 16 goal attempts, with only five on target, with glaring misses from Percy Tau and Bongokuhle  Hlongwane, something Broos could do nothing about.

Despite having most of the ball, Bafana were just scrappy with it, like a team that was playing together for the first time, without any identity nor synergy.

In short, Bafana were just disappointing.

Perhaps, what Friday evening's game highlighted, in bold and bright colors, is the lack of quality in our national team.

We are not any superior than Liberia, or Mozambique, Angola and others smaller football nations like we are.

That is a fact we need to accept as soon as possible. Improvement will only come once we step out of the bubble of superiority illusion we are living in.

To avoid a lot of unnecessary heart breaks and useless finger pointing, we need to accept that Bafana are a true reflection of the standards of our players.

Just like our Under-23s showed us against Congo.

So, to keep this sweet and short, Broos can go, but Bafana will remain Bafana - boys on the international stage.