Broos Hits Out At Media Biasness
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has voiced his concern that his squad selections are often met with accusations of media bias, as if he has “killed someone” if he doesn’t pick certain players.
Broos was addressing the media as Bafana Bafana prepares for two upcoming friendly matches this month against Tanzania and Mozambique. These matches are scheduled to be played at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane: the first against Tanzania on 6 June, followed by the game against Mozambique four days later at the same venue.
“People outside are always linking players to clubs,” Broos remarked. “When I drop a player from Orlando Pirates, it’s ‘Why a player from Pirates?’ When I don’t take a player from Kaizer Chiefs, it’s like I killed someone.” Broos notably did not select any Chiefs players for the current squad, citing their poor season, while the squad is largely dominated by Pirates players.
“It has nothing to do with clubs when I make choices,” Broos clarified. “I don’t make choices because he is from Pirates, and this one is from Chiefs. I don’t feel obligated to have players from Pirates. I make the choice without knowing, or rather, I make the choice without letting it influence me that this player is from Chiefs, or this player is from Chippa United; I just pick the player.”
He continued, “If you have to drop players from big teams, what is the problem? The problem, or the goal of making choices, is to try to make a national team as strong as possible to play the games because you want to win. It doesn’t matter if it’s players from Chiefs or Pirates, or players abroad or whatever; the only thing you have to do is to win, and this is for me the only reason why I make choices. I try to have the strongest team to play the games.”
Broos acknowledged the influence of club allegiances: “I know, I feel that some journalists are linked with clubs; they are supporters of that club. You know for supporters, it is very difficult to accept that you don’t take a player from his team. So, it is not really the fact that you choose; it is because the player of that team is quality, and that is what happens sometimes, and I will never look at it the other way.”
He concluded emphatically, “I make my choices completely independent of who and where the player is playing. I just choose the players because of their qualities and talents, that’s all.”
Broos decided not to include Mamelodi Sundowns players due to their participation in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which commences on 14 June in the United States and runs until July.
