Injury scare hits Bafana camp ahead of AFCON warm-up

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has disclosed that his preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are being hampered by injury concerns just days before the team’s final warm-up fixture.

Speaking ahead of South Africa’s international friendly against Ghana, scheduled for Tuesday at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto, the Belgian coach revealed his squad does not currently have a clean bill of health.

This friendly is the last chance for Broos to fine-tune his strategy before the team departs for Morocco, where they will open their AFCON campaign against Angola on December 22.

🚨MATCH DAY🚨

Friendly Match

⚽️ South Africa 🇿🇦 vs 🇬🇭 Ghana
🗓 16 December 2025
⏰️ 16h00
🏟 Dobsonville Stadium
🎟 https://t.co/t4v2sefWxw #BafanaPride@10bet_ZA @CastleLagerSA @Shield_ZA @HonorAfrica @SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/IagR4aJR5a

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) December 16, 2025

Missing Pieces And Minor Setbacks For Bafana Ahead of AFCON

While Broos named his final 25-man squad weeks ago in pursuit of the nation’s first AFCON title since 1996, the team currently training at the High Performance Centre (HPC) in Pretoria is missing three key players who will link up later in Morocco. These players are striker Lyle Foster (Burnley FC), attacker Shandre Campbell (Club Brugge), and Portugal-based midfielder Siphephelo Sithole.

Compounding the challenge of an incomplete squad, Broos confirmed that several players currently in camp are dealing with minor injuries.

“When you talk about football’s technical things, there are things we were so strong in that I didn’t see in training,” Broos stated, attributing some issues to the lack of a full complement. “It’s not easy to implement the things we need when you are nine against nine. When important players are not yet there, like Foster, Sithole and [Siyabonga] Ngezana.”

Caution Against the Black Stars

Broos was adamant that, despite the current challenges, he is not overly concerned, believing there is still enough time to sharpen the tactical aspects once the team is fully assembled in Marrakech, their initial base in Morocco.

However, the injury risk means his approach to the Ghana friendly will be highly cautious. The match, even against an opponent also not at full strength, will be used more as a tactical exercise than a competitive selection game.

“On the other side, I can leave some players out of the team because they have minor injuries, and I don’t want to take a risk tomorrow and let them play and have more serious injuries and maybe miss AFCON,” Broos explained.

He confirmed that this will create opportunities for other players to step up and “adapt a little bit on the Bafana Bafana way of playing.”

The Standby List For AFCON

The injury woes have forced the technical team to prepare contingency plans. In the event that injuries necessitate replacement calls, Broos has identified three players on standby who could be drafted into the squad: Kaizer Chiefs’ midfielder Mduduzi Shabalala, striker Iqraam Rayners, and centre-back Thabo Moloisane.

The friendly against Ghana marks the final opportunity for South Africa to find rhythm and cohesion before the intense pressure of the continental tournament begins next week.