Broos Sees Friendlies As Opportunity For New Players To Shine

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos believes the upcoming friendly matches against Tanzania and Mozambique are a crucial opportunity for new players to prove themselves.

With Mamelodi Sundowns players unavailable due to their preparation for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, Broos sees this as a chance to evaluate talent from other clubs and diversify his squad.

“I’m not a coach who always looks at the top team; I always look at the other teams in South Africa,” Broos said.

“So, we’ll see what will happen now, and there will be intervals because Sundowns players who were there in the past are not here now.”

This approach has led to the inclusion of several new faces in the squad, including Orlando Pirates defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who has received praise from Broos for his mature game and decision-making skills.

The friendly matches, set to take place at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, will see Bafana Bafana face Tanzania on Friday at 19:30 and Mozambique on Tuesday at 19:30.

Broos emphasized that the results of these games are not the primary focus, but rather the performances of the players.

“Again, for me, because it’s friendly games, I said a few times that the results are not important in both games. So, it’s a good consideration for new players to prove themselves,” he said.

The former Cameroonian national team coach believes that having a diverse pool of players from different clubs is essential for the team’s growth and success.

“We’ll do it without Sundowns players, and let’s hope that we can find other players from other clubs because having too many players from one club is not good,” he said.

“Therefore, it’s very interesting for me to see the players from other teams in those two friendly games.”