Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has defended his decision to invite to the presidential dinner the six players he left out of the 26-man squad for the Fifa World Cup next month.
Following his announcement of his final squad, there was public debate about why the six players who didn’t make the cut were “humiliated” by appearing at the event on Wednesday night. Those who were not selected are:
- Thapelo Morena;
- Brandon Petersen;
- Patrick Maswanganyi;
- Thabiso Monyane;
- Brooklyn Poggenpoel; and
- Lebohang Maboe.
Broos said the decision to go with all 32 players to the squad announcement was because Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns had to play at the weekend, and he was scared of injuries on both sides and didn’t want to take players who were disappointed in case there were new injuries.
He further said his motivation was to show the six players who didn’t make it that they were still members of the Bafana Bafana team.
“You know, I am a coach who believes very much in the group. For me, there is no player who is above the group, because one player can’t win a game. We win a game with the group, and a group is not only 11; it’s 26 players, as it is today,” Broos said during a press conference in Sandton today.
“So I wanted to keep that group together, even in bad moments. For me, it should be worse for the players if, I had told the new guys, ‘Go home because you are not among the 26.’ That would not have been honest to them. So that’s why I kept them together. They went to the event with the president, and they all know the decisions that were made. It was important for them, but they were still members of Bafana Bafana, and that was important to me.”
Broos revealed how he spoke to players since their camp, telling them the decisions to drop some of them would not be easy.
“It was a disappointment, and it was not a good moment for the players yesterday evening—not saying, ‘You’re out,’ but just, ‘I’m not with the 26.’ I think it would not have been so bad if I had said it yesterday afternoon and told them, ‘Yeah, guys, go home. You’re not even going with us to the president’s farewell.’
“That’s what I wanted to avoid. I wanted them to feel that I was confident in them but that I still had to make a choice. It has nothing to do with anything else; it’s just about making the choices. And I think it was the best moment—or the best way—to do it.”
At 4pm on Wednesday, Broos took the decision to name the final squad. This is because Aubrey Modiba and Thapelo Morena are injured. Broos said they knew Morena was injured but had to wait for the results of scans. He said he didn’t see a need to take him, as he wasn’t going to train for the next few weeks.
After announcing the final squad at Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guest House, Broos asked players where they were keen to stay, with the whole team at the hotel until Thursday morning or leave immediately, and all decided it was best to go home.
He then had a chat with them one by one and said, “It was not nice.
He further explained the decision not to select Petersen was because of integration, saying he doesn’t know him as a person and how he will react if he doesn’t play.
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