In a surprising move, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has once again left out Percy Tau from the national team squad for their crucial African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan. The decision comes as Bafana Bafana needs at least two points from their last two Group K matches to secure qualification for next year’s tournament in Morocco.
Tau’s Exclusion
Broos explained that the primary reason for Tau’s exclusion is his lack of regular playing time. “If you don’t play soccer regularly, you lose rhythm,” Broos stated. “Then you need some time to get back into it.” Tau, who was once the star of the national team, has been playing off the bench for Egyptian club Al Ahly and has not started a match for Bafana Bafana since a World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in June.
“For all the players, it’s the same… my choices are much more difficult than two-three years ago,” Broos continued. “Sometimes I have to drop a player that I like to keep with me, but it’s not possible because I can only select 23 players. Even a player like Percy – for the moment it’s not possible, because Percy doesn’t play in his team.”
Broos emphasized the importance of regular playing time for maintaining the rhythm and feeling of the game, especially at the international level. “When you play at this level… with all respect, this is not PSL. You can ask him [Tau], he was at AFCON – those are very tough, intensive games, and when you don’t have the rhythm of those games, it’s very difficult.”
Confidence in Players
Despite Tau’s undeniable talent, Broos believes it is challenging for him to play the role expected in the team without regular match practice. “So with Percy, okay Percy is Percy and he’s a very good player. But even for him, it is very difficult to play the role in the team that we expect of him. With all the critics in the past, I’ve protected him and I still protect him… sometimes people ask too much of him.”
Broos acknowledged the high expectations placed on Tau and the pressure he faces. “I feel people think with Percy in the team, he will score and this and that… it’s not going like that. It was a difficult choice… but I have full confidence in the players that I selected.”
The exclusion of Tau has sparked a debate among fans and analysts, with some supporting Broos’s decision and others questioning the consistency of his selections. As Bafana Bafana prepares for their crucial matches against Uganda and South Sudan, the team will need to rely on the selected players to secure the necessary points for AFCON qualification.
Pressure to win
In his outspoken and colorful manner, Broos stated that if Bafana Bafana fails to qualify, he will quit his job. “You know if we lose both games, five minutes later I will be on the flight back to Belgium,” the 72-year-old coach said. “If we can’t win, OK with Uganda [we can lose], but not with South Sudan. I tell you [if that happened] I would take the flight immediately and you would never see me back again.”
Uganda currently leads Group K with 10 points, followed by Bafana Bafana with eight, Congo with four, and South Sudan with zero after four matches. Broos has ensured that he understands the qualification rules to avoid past embarrassments. The Confederation of African Football uses head-to-head records as the first criterion if teams are level on points.
“With two draws we will qualify because in the game against Congo we won [5-0 in Gqeberha, with a 1-1 draw away], and with two draws we would be six points ahead of Congo [before their remaining two matches, so even if they won both they would draw level],” Broos explained.
Bronze Medalists
Bafana Bafana made significant progress by winning a bronze medal in Ivory Coast this year, escaping a period of underperformance that lasted nearly two decades. They were within a penalty shoot-out against Nigeria in the semifinals of reaching the final. With the core of that mostly young team remaining and even more talented players emerging, South Africa aims to perform even better in the next AFCON.
“It would be a shame for us if we don’t qualify for AFCON,” Broos said. “We have the quality, we have the bronze medal — can you imagine if the bronze medalists of nine months ago cannot even qualify for the next AFCON? So I am not thinking about that because, again, my confidence is big in this team — we cannot accept if we shouldn’t be qualified for AFCON.”
In his update on the squad’s arrivals and injuries, Broos mentioned that foreign-based players Siyabonga Ngezana and Luke Le Roux would arrive on Tuesday. “Mihlali Mayambela is out with injury and he is replaced by Devin Titus from Stellenbosch,” Broos added.