Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has justified his reasons for selecting Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates players in his squad.
Out of the 23 players selected to face Zambia on Saturday, 14 of them come from the two big clubs. Since taking over as Bafana coach, the Belgian has prefered to play with more local players which has improved the national team.
During his tenure, Bafana has not only qualified for a World Cup but also reached the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final.
Broos selects 14 players from Sundowns and Pirates
Last week, Broos announced his final squad however some questioned his selection given he didn’t bring in some of the youngsters who recently played in the U/20 World Cup.
“I want to win on Saturday and that’s all,” the veteran coach told the media.
“So, the reason why my first idea was to let players of Sundowns and Pirates in their club was because they have a very overloaded programme, but in the end I changed my mind because I want to win.
“Why I want to win, first of all, it’s important for our ranking. We want to stay certainly in the first 10, even going back to nine [spot] again,” Broos added.
With the AFCON just a month away, Broos has explained why he needs Sundowns and Pirates players in his squad.
“Secondly, we are one month before AFCON, and it wouldn’t be a very good thing if we were to lose the game on Saturday.
“I will ask from every player, focus and concentration, though, like we had for the qualifiers. Even if it’s not the qualifiers, I will not accept that players are taking these games as a little holiday.
“I want to win on Saturday,” he concluded.