Hugo Broos has revealed that Bafana Bafana would have included Kaizer Chiefs captain Brandon Petersen in the squad to face Panama if he had been fit.
The 31-year-old Kaizer Chiefs captain recently underwent surgery after enjoying a strong season with Amakhosi.
“I was happy with Petersen, but he is injured. He might not be ready for the World Cup. I think if he were not injured, he should have been with us,” Broos told SABC Sport.
Broos also left out Sipho Chaine, with the Orlando Pirates shot-stopper having largely played a backup role to Ronwen Williams in the national setup.
Broos reveals Bafana squad
The Belgian mentor emphasized that with the World Cup just months away, there is little room for experimentation.
“We have a friendly at the end of May. There is no time to experiment,” said Broos.
“We were looking for Central American opposition and Panama came up. When I saw their ranking, I was very happy. It won’t just be a friendly — it’s proper preparation. We want to see if we can compete.
“I don’t want to play two games and lose both. It’s important to see how my team performs against this type of opposition.”
Broos added that players must prove themselves during the camp or risk being dropped from the Bafana World Cup squad.
“This camp is for players to prove themselves. It’s to see if you are ready. If you are not ready or show a bad attitude, I will drop you.”