Hugo Broos is proud of the upward trajectory of Bafana Bafana and PSL sides’ in Africa recently as he believes the two parties have had a beneficial relationship.
The kings of continental football will officially be crowned in Cairo on Sunday night as PSL outfit Mamelodi Sundowns will be away to Egyptians, Pyramids.
The South Africans are on a backfoot heading into the match as the hosts have an away goal advantage after the first leg ended in a 1-1 draw last Saturday in Pretoria.
However, whatever happens after the final whistle, Sundowns have already made the nation proud by marching all the way to the final for the first time since 2016.
The Brazilians were not the only PSL team that flew the national flag high on the continent, though, as rivals Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch also made their mark.
Pirates, of Mohau Nkota who also received his first Bafana call-up, and Stellies went as far as the Champions League and Confederation Cup semi-final in which they lost to Pyramids and Simba respectively.
The trio’s strides in Africa augurs well for the national team as Bafana aim to win Afcon for the first time in 29 years in December and are on the brink of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
But with Sundowns set to play in the FIFA Club World Cup next month in the US, Broos decided against calling up their players for the two friendlies in June.
Bafana will face Tanzania at New Peter Mokoba Stadium on Friday in the first friendly, before hosting Mozambique at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium four days later in the last one.
Broos’ final 23-member squad for the two matches is largely made up of Pirates players, and that’s why he’s expected to start most of them in Polokwane – setting the tone for the friendlies.
After all, Pirates – like Sundowns and Stellies – know what it takes to navigate the continent after their stellar strides in recent months.
“The reason why Bafana was doing well in the past 10 years is because most of the players were coming from the teams that played on the continent,” Broos, the Bafana coach, said.
“They had the experience of a level that is a little higher than the PSL, and that helped a lot. When I came here I had players that didn’t have much international experience.
“So, we have that now – Pirates were close to playing in the final. We could have had a final between two SA teams – Mamelodi Sundowns and Pirates.
“If you have that it means the progression that SA teams had in the past few years has been very good.
“And I also think the progress that Bafana had also helped the teams to achieve those performances and results (on the continent).”
Sure, Sundowns’ players will be absent from the camp, but Broos has emphasised that they’ll always be his best players – that’s why he declined a friendly against the No 1 ranked side in Africa, Morocco.
Broos, though, will also be interested to see how his Mamelodi Sundowns’ counterpart Miguel Caroso uses the talismanic and fan-favourite Themba Zwane in the next few weeks.
Zwane recently returned from a lengthy injury, which was career threatening. As such, Cardoso has been trying to manage him, including benching him for the first leg.
“I can’t judge now which level he’s on,” Broos said of Zwane. “So, maybe, it’s a little bit too soon for him. So we will see what happens later.
“But again, when I see his talent and capabilities, I am sure that he can still help us (as the national team).
“Yes (I still believe in him), but he has to perform at the same level as before, and that is something I cannot judge now.”
