Broos clarifies decision to snub Chiefs players from Bafana squad

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has clarified his decision to snub Kaizer Chiefs players from his latest squad, set to do battle in two friendly matches next month.

The outspoken Broos named his 23-man Bafana squad for two upcoming friendly matches on Thursday in Johannesburg.

His troops will first play Tanzania at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday, June 6, followed by a match against Mozambique at Loftus Versfeld Stadium four days later.

Notably, the final squad excludes all Kaizer Chiefs players, despite three, Mduduzi Shabalala, Bruce Bvuma, and Yusuf Maart, being named in the preliminary squad last week.

Addressing the media, Broos bluntly stated that Chiefs’ players are not good enough to play for the national team at the moment, urging them to improve their performance before even thinking about earning call-ups.

This comes after the Soweto giants finished a disappointing ninth in the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season, missing out on a top-eight spot for the second season in a row. But they ended their 10-year trophy drought earlier this month by winning the Nedbank Cup, which was not enough to convince Broos.

“For me, at the moment I don’t think I can select Kaizer Chiefs players,” said Broos. “I hope that they have a better season next year. Yes, they’ve won the Nedbank Cup, but I think that was the only highlight of their season; the rest was not so good.

“So I don’t think Chiefs supporters are happy with winning just the cup. We have to be honest, and I don’t have anything against Chiefs, but I have to be honest with my choices.

“Most of the time, it hasn’t been good for Chiefs. Otherwise, a team like Chiefs can’t be number nine. They have to be number three, two, or one. It’s up to them to make good performances next season, and play like I expect of a top team.”

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.