The SPL has allowed Bafana Bafana’s Hugo Broos to begin his Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification camp two days early.
The decision may have surprised Broos, who has had a turbulent relationship with the SPL since taking over the reins in 2021 and having had previous requests denied.
As the Betway Premiership takes an early three-week break, the only domestic fixture before South Africa’s AFCON qualifiers against Congo Brazzaville is the MTN8 final between Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC.
As a result, most of Bafana Bafana’s newly announced 23-man squad has wrapped up their club commitments ahead of the AFCON qualifiers, prompting Broos to request that the league release the players for international duty 48 hours earlier than scheduled.
A relieved Broos
In a lengthy discussion with SABC TV, Broos said, “I’m happy that the PSL agreed with my request because there is no competition game,
“There is only the MTN final, so only the players of [Orlando] Pirates and Stellenbosch are playing on Saturday. So, for me that was the reason why I asked to start already the camp on Saturday so we can come together on Saturday.
“We fly to PE on the Sunday morning and we can already train on Sunday afternoon. So, if we should have been together on Monday, you lose two days so, again very happy and thank you for agreeing with my request.
“I’m happy about it because yes, I know I’ve had some difficulties with the PSL, but I think they understand now also that we do it for South African football we are not doing it for me.
We are doing it for South African football. And you see what happens when you get the good results at AFCON and with the good results we did after we played suddenly there was interest.
“So, that’s what I meant before. Sometimes you have to do something for the national team and not always focus on PSL,”
Bafana Bafana’s AFCON Prospects
Levelled with Uganda on four points, Bafana Bafana is joint-first in the group stage as they gear up for their double-header against Congo Brazzaville, who are only a point behind.
South Africa drew 2-2 with Uganda in the opening two games before beating South Sudan 3-2.
There’s great excitement around Broos’s squad, with many eager to see how Relebohile Mofokeng and Thalente Mbatha will perform.
So, when are the upcoming games?
- 11th October: South Africa vs Congo (19:00 SAST)
- 15th October: Congo vs South Africa (18:00 SAST)
Will you be watching Bafana Bafana?
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