Percy Tau has been left out of the Bafana Bafana squad for the second time in a row.
The 30-year-old striker has been one of South Africa’s more important players in recent years but looks to have lost his spot in the national team, leaving South African football fans to question why.
Tau left Mamelodi Sundowns in 2018 to join Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, where he struggled to find game time.
In 2021, Tau joined Al Ahly in Egypt and found great success, playing 112 times, scoring 29 goals and assisting 13.
Tau has also been an important player for Bafana Bafana, scoring 15 goals in 46 games, making him the highest-scoring active player in the squad.
So, what has happened to Tau?
This time, Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos said Tau has “personal issues” to attend to.
During the last international break, Broos said Tau was not chosen because he was not in the right “mental state” after being abused on social media following some poor performances in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
However, Tau is still playing for Al Ahly and scored two goals in a recent appearance for the side.
Broos has, however, kept faith in Mamelodi Sundowns’ Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau for upcoming matches against Congo Brazzaville.
South Africa hosts Congo on 11 October at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium for a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Group K match, with the away fixture four days later.
Despite Mokoena missing Sundowns’ last five games, Broos defended his selection.
“Teboho is staying in the team. He played so well in the last games and has been with us since I became coach here. He is getting better and better. It is not that if he is not playing at Sundowns, we can’t select him.”
Broos warned: “But I have said it cannot go on and on; he needs to play.”
Despite limited playing time, Orlando Pirates’ Nkosinathi Sibisi and potential debutant Thabiso Sesane also made the cut.
Captain Ronwen Williams returns, replacing AmaZulu’s Veli Mothwa, and Pirates’ Sipho Chaine joins the squad, but teammate Tshegofatso Mabasa misses out.
