Broos says he will face difficulties when he names final World Cup squad next week

After naming the 32-man preliminary squad on Thursday, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he will face a difficult decision when he names the final squad for the Fifa World Cup on Wednesday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

In the goalkeeping department, Broos named four goalkeepers on form — Kaizer Chiefs Brandon Petersen, Ronwen Williams, Sipho Chaine and Ricardo Goss — with one to be dropped next week.

Broos said he feels for the players who will not make the cut when he announces the final squad, and that some will be disappointed.

“It’s an exciting time and period for me because a few weeks ago, we made a list of 50 players. That was easy, so now the players that will start the camp on Monday were already a little bit more difficult,” Broos told the media after the Honor series 600 launch in Midrand on Thursday.

“But the most difficult of all will be next week, the 27th, when we announce the 26 players. There will be players who will not be happy, and there will be players who will be very disappointed. But that’s a choice I have to make.

When you come into the pitch, there is immediately a boost of motivation to do well, so it is very important what we did. Again, all credit to the players

—  Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos

“I have a good assistant in Helman [Mkhalele], so I think on Monday and Tuesday, we will have some meetings together and see that we make the right choices.”

With South Africans excited about Bafana heading into the World Cup for the first time since they hosted in 2010, Broos is happy with the support they are getting ahead of the tournament.

“This is important for me and certainly for the players,” he said. “I think a few years ago, it was very difficult for them also because nobody was happy, nobody liked Bafana Bafana. And then suddenly people started to see the effort we did and the results were coming — and little by little, people came behind the team.

“And when you see the last game in March against Panama, we played in front of a full stadium. People were there with green and yellow jerseys.

“When you come into the pitch, there is immediately a boost of motivation to do well, so it is very important what we did. Again, all credit to the players.”

At the event launch, football stars such as Goss, Vincent Pule and Broos participated in a host of activities and challenges centred around Honor’s 600 Series upgraded flagship feature, AI Image to video 2.0. Bafana players and the technical team were also given Honor Watch 6, which features over 120 professional sports modes, and they will use it during the World Cup.

Sowetan