Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will announce his squad for the upcoming friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana today, with these three new players expected to be called up.
This publication has also been informed that they are a few surprise inclusions the national team coach will make in his squad and one of those players set to be included is Stellenbosch FC’s hard working midfielder Sibongiseni Mthethwa, who has been responsible for carrying his team effortlessly thus far. The 27-year-old joined Stellenbosch from Black Leopards in January and has since made 21 appearances for the Winsland-based side.
Another player to have been called up is believed to be Cyprus-based attacker Mihlali Mayambela, who has been on form from his time in Portugal and Israel in the past two seasons. Mayambela, a younger brother of Mark Mayambela and a product of the Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs development programmes, left the country in 2016 and has been making headlines in Europe playing in the lower divisions in the Portuguese league.
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Currently playing for Aris Limassol in Cyprus where he’s scored a goal and provided an assist in five league matches, he has also scored in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers. Mayambela’s selection looks to be the direction that Broos is now taking, of giving the overseas-based players a chance.
Last week, it was widely reported that the Swedish-based midfielder and former junior international, Luke Le Roux, had received a call-up to the next Bafana squad. The Varberg BoIS midfielder has started 19 matches for his club this season.
Vice captain Percy Tau, Grant Kekana and Evidence Makgopa, who were part of Bafana squad that lost to Morocco in July in the first match of the AFCON qualifiers, are set to miss out due to injuries and fitness issues.
Tau and Makgopa are not playing at their respective clubs – Al Ahly and Orlando Pirates due – to injuries. Kekana did return for Sundowns over the weekend in their 2-1 win against Golden Arrows but a return to the national team comes too soon.
Bafana, who were initially scheduled to play an international friendly match against Egypt, taking advantage of the postponement of the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers to March next year, would be using these international friendly matches to increase the pool of talent in the squad and add more quality in the team, as Broos had planned previously.
After a great showing in the opening qualifiers, despite losing 2-1 to Morocco, by players like Siphephelo Sithole (based in Portugal), the Belgian-born coach is seeing the need to include more overseas-based players in the squad.
Broos To Announce Bafana Squad On Thursday
