Hugo Broos explains omission of Mamelodi Sundowns trio in Bafana squad | OneFootball

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Broos sheds light on decision to snub Sundowns trio

Photo: Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has shed light on the decision to snub Mamelodi Sundowns trio of Khuliso Mudau, Thapelo Morena and newly signed Fawaaz Basadien in his latest squad.

The 2023 Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) bronze medalists will square off against Lesotho on Friday, 05 September and Nigeria four days later in crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at Free State Stadium.

However, there have been concerns with the absence of regular key players in the new-look squad, with the prominent Downs trio snubbed – a decision the 72-year-old Belgian mentor clarified.

“We have players who don’t play so much in the last week – weeks even. [Fawaaz] Basadien, I don’t think it’s the right moment to call Basadien,” Broos explained.

“When you have a transfer to a big team like Sundowns and you don’t play or they put you on the right-back in your first game, and the second game you play 45 minutes and they replace you, and the last game they put other players in your position and you stay on the bench – that mentally [can affect you]. Fawaaz for the moment is not ready.

On Morena, Broos made a plea to PSL clubs to provide accurate information on the injury statuses of the Bafana internationals, suggesting the speedy player was omitted due to Masandawana withholding his fitness status.

“We have [Khuliso] Mudau, everybody knows the problems. [Thapelo] Morena is another case, he was injured for a long time, but now suddenly he plays, and this is something that I want to ask the clubs to be a little bit clearer in the information they give us about injuries,” he added.

“I had a reaction from someone when I told them that, he said, ‘yes, we don’t want the opponent to know that the player will play or not’. I will never call the opponent of the team of next week and say, ‘this one is not playing.”

“So, I don’t know if that’s a reason enough not to tell exactly where the player is [fitness wise]. But it’s okay, that’s why we took the decision also not to take Morena but if you see now, he played 71 minutes last week. We could have the opportunity to take him but then if the information is not clear, that is very difficult for us.