Hugo Broos explain Paseka Mako’s inclusion in Bafana squad

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has outlined his reasons for including Orlando Pirates fullback Paseka Mako in the national team.

The Pirates star received a call-up on Thursday as Broos announced his final 23-man squad that will face Eswatini and Ivory Coast in friendly matches on 13 October and 17 October respectively.

Previously, Mako has been selected in the preliminary squads but always missed out when the team was trimmed down.

The last time Mako was selected to represent the national team was back in 2018 when Stuart Baxter was in charge, however, he didn’t get some game time.

The 29-year-old has been a key and consistent player for PSL giants Bucs this season. So far, he has made nine appearances in all competitions and provided an assist. He has helped the team to keep five clean sheets in the process.

HUGO BROOS ON PASEKA MAKO’S INCLUSION IN THE BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD

Hugo Broos says Paseka Mako’s performances have improved this season and he possesses many qualities of a good fullback.

“Yeah first of all he’s [Paseka Mako] better than last season. He plays good at the moment for Orlando Pirates, he’s quick and he’s very aggressive in duals,” said Hugo Broos.

“What I like is because he’s a defender and he is very offensive also. So this is always a quality, if you have that quality in your team it’s also very important.”

HUGO BROOS IDENTIFIES A DISADVANTAGE OF HAVING A PLAYER LIKE PASEKA MAKO

Broos further highlighted that a short player like Mako will not be of much use if most of the opposition players are tall.

“Defensively he’s not bad, not at all, the only thing maybe you can tell is he’s not a tall player. That can maybe sometimes be a problem if you play against teams with tall players.

“Certainly as a defender that’s maybe the only negative thing about him. But, I think certainly with the injury of [Innocent] Maela he deserved to be with us,” Broos added.

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