Hugo Broos offers insights on how PSL and South African players can improve | OneFootball

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Hugo Broos’ take: How PSL and South African players can improve

Photo: Gallo Images

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has shed light on how the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and South African players can improve their game.

Since taking over the reins in May 2021, he guided Bafana to a bronze medal in the 2023 AFCON and qualified the team to the 2025 AFCON in Morocco. In addition, he is on the verge of securing FIFA World Cup qualification.

Broos achieved all that using local-based players in his squad, with only a handful of players plying their trade abroad in contrast to countries like Nigeria, among others.

“When you look at the team of Nigeria, there is no Nigerian [based player] in the team. They all play abroad in big teams like Atalanta, like AC Milan, like Fulham, you name them,” the Bafana boss noted.

The 73-year-old Belgian mentor is hopeful that Bafana’s recent exploits in major tournaments and qualifying matches will attract European interest in the Betway Premiership – events he believes would benefit South African football.

“We don’t have it [plethora of exports], but you see that it’s not a disadvantage. We really have good players, and I hope what we did now with the national team and hopefully what we will do in the future, that those players will get the opportunity to go to Europe,” Broos added.

“That will help South African football, you can be sure that if we play in competitions that are on a higher level than our PSL here in South Africa, then they will become better when they play in those competitions.

“So, let’s hope that the guys have the opportunity in the future or next season to go and play abroad. It will be good for the national team but also for the national competition, for the South African players.

He continued: “I’ll make an example, if you go to Belgium and say, ‘give me a name of a South African player’, nobody can give you, except those who played in Belgium like Percy Tau and Darren Keet, they played in Belgium they know them.

“But if you ask in Belgium, name me a Senegal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast player, they will tell you. So, the African player is not known even when he’s good but he has to go out.