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Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, has explained why DStv Premiership's Golden Boot winner Tshegofatso Mabasa was left out of his squad to face Nigeria and Zimbabwe in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month.
Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, has explained why DStv Premiership's Golden Boot winner Tshegofatso Mabasa was left out of his squad to face Nigeria and Zimbabwe in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month.
Mabasa finished on top of the PSL's scorers chart with 16 goals but was overlooked for Iqraam Rayners of Stellenbosch FC who scored one less.
In a chat with Sowetan Live, Broos said he doesn't have to give players, including Mabasa, who he felt had a bad experience with the Bafana Bafana two years ago when he was withdrawn after 35 minutes in a 2022 World Cup qualifier away to Ethiopia in October 2021.
"I don't think I had to take him (Mabasa) because I have Iqraam (Rayners, of Stellenbosch FC)," Broos said.
"Iqraam scored 15 goals. It is a one-goal difference. I give the confidence to Iqraam. It was a decision I had to make between him or Mabasa.
"He (Iqraam) did very well in the game (friendly) against Algeria (3-3). He scores easily. So I gave him the confidence and it's up to him to prove it.
"We will continue to follow Mabasa next season. Certainly let's hope he can do the same things he did in the past four months, scoring goals."
"We had a bad experience with Mabasa two years ago (when he was withdrawn after 35 minutes in a 2022 World Cup qualifier away to Ethiopia in October 2021). I had to change him after 35 minutes and everybody said it was a scandal.
"No (it wasn't a scandal), Mabasa didn't reach the level he had to reach for the national team. He's not the same player now. But you see what happened between January this year and the last game he played with Bafana Bafana two years ago. That was not so good for Mabasa."
Broos also explained why he didn't pick any US-based Bafana players such as Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Njabulo Blom. Both players were not part of the Bafana team that won bronze in the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast earlier this year.
"The experience with players coming from America is not so good. They arrive here exhausted. They travel for two days. They'll never arrive on time because they play most of the time on Sunday and arrive on Tuesday exhausted.
"We have to give them a free day on Wednesday because they have to recover and then we have to play a game on Friday. That's the problem and not the problem of the player or my problem but the problem of America being so far away.
"But if Hlongwane is still a standard player, maybe you can think differently. But he's no longer a standard player. Same thing for Blom. They don't play. They're on the bench."
