Broos Urges More SA Players To Move Abroad To Help Bafana
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has once again emphasised the importance of South African players moving to Europe, insisting that it is one of the key ways to close the gap with Africa’s top nations.
Broos said that while playing friendly matches against strong opposition can be useful, they are not enough on their own, as such games are once-off occasions. Instead, South African players need to be tested consistently at a higher level.
Bafana Bafana exited the Africa Cup of Nations at the round-of-16 stage following a 2–1 defeat to Cameroon on Sunday. Despite showing some positive moments, South Africa were largely unconvincing and struggled in key areas of the game.
Their shortcomings were evident in attack, with Relebohile Mofokeng firing wide from a clear scoring opportunity when he should have found the target. Samukele Kabini, who was surprisingly selected in a 3-4-3 formation ahead of the more experienced Aubrey Modiba, also wasted a good chance in the second half by shooting straight at the goalkeeper.
Cameroon, despite limited preparation time following changes at the top of their football administration, were still able to call on players based in Europe’s top leagues. Bryan Mbeumo, who led the attack, was among those who helped eliminate Bafana Bafana.
“As a national team, you can do very little about that,” Broos said, as quoted by Newzroom Afrika. “When you look at the teams you’ve mentioned, they all have players playing in Europe. We don’t, and that is one of South Africa’s disadvantages.
“When you play against teams like Angola, they have players competing in Europe. Cameroon have plenty of them as well. You see young players like Christian Kofane, who is only 19 and already playing at Bayer Leverkusen.
“These are the opportunities our players need. They must be challenged at a higher level. I said from the beginning that the gap between the PSL and the level we faced in recent weeks is very big.
“You can only reduce that gap by having players who are competing in very demanding leagues. Let’s hope more South African players get the opportunity to go to Europe, play in tough competitions, and face those challenges, because it would help this team enormously.
“It’s not about playing one match against Argentina or Ghana and suddenly improving your level. That’s not how it works. We can only hope players get the opportunity and take that step.”
As South Africa come to terms with their round-of-16 exit, attention now turns to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America. Broos has warned that the challenges will be even greater, and the situation could worsen if the current issues are not addressed.
