Bafana Bafana Camp Faces Setbacks Ahead of Afcon Qualifiers

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has expressed his dissatisfaction with the challenging start to the team’s training camp ahead of their upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification matches against Congo. The preparation period has been marred by injuries, disciplinary issues, and late arrivals, all contributing to a turbulent start. Broos voiced these concerns during a press conference held at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Broos detailed how injuries have affected the team, notably the absence of rising star Thalente Mbatha. Mbatha, who became instrumental for the team by scoring pivotal late goals in previous qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan, suffered a knee injury during the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch in Durban. This injury led to his withdrawal from the team. Bathusi Aubaas, from Mamelodi Sundowns, has been called up to replace Mbatha.

In addition to injury issues, Broos addressed disciplinary problems within the squad. Stellenbosch’s Jayden Adams was dismissed from the team due to what the coach described as “bad behaviour.” Without delving into specific details, Broos confirmed that Sinoxolo Kwayiba of Chippa United has been selected to fill Adams’ place.

“I have to say that our camp hasn’t started well. Today, we don’t even have all the players together. We’ve also had some injuries, so we’ve needed to replace players within the last 24 hours,” Broos stated at the press conference.

Broos is also awaiting the arrival of Luke Le Roux, who plays for Swedish Allsvenskan club IFK Värnamo, to complete the squad. He assured that once Le Roux arrives, the team will be able to fully focus on their preparation for the matches against Congo, scheduled for Friday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and again four days later.

Providing updates on other players, Broos mentioned that Patrick Maswanganyi of Orlando Pirates underwent a scan due to injury concerns, but luckily, he was cleared to join the team as no significant issues were found.

The coach emphasized that while the current situation is not ideal, such challenges are part of the team’s preparations. “It’s a little bit of a pity that Thalente is not here, but such things can happen,” Broos remarked.