Doctor Khumalo praises Broos for Bafana AFCON youth push

Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo has given his unequivocal endorsement to national team coach Hugo Broos’s squad selections, particularly singling out the Belgian mentor for his faith in two exciting young talents ahead of the upcoming AFCON in Morocco.

The Kaizer Chiefs icon believes Broos is facing a selection headache that no previous Bafana coach has encountered—a dilemma of positive abundance.

“I think this is the first coach to have a headache with player selection,” Khumalo stated. “For the first time, I’ve seen a coach whose AFCON preliminary squad is more than 40 or 30. So he had 54. So clearly, there’s something that is happening within the PSL, and the players are raising their hands.”

Broos’s preliminary list reportedly included over 50 names, a clear indication to Khumalo that the quality pool within the local Premier Soccer League (PSL) has reached an unprecedented depth.

“It was not easy for the coach actually to choose his squad because there are so many players that I personally, I can say we can probably have 4 or 5 other squads. I think they will do the job for him,” he added, underscoring the formidable quality available.

The Future-Focused Selections: Bafana Bafana-AFCON

Khumalo reserved his highest praise for Broos’s inclusion of young stars Tylon Smith and Shandre Campbell, viewing it as a vital, forward-thinking strategy that had been missing from past national team regimes.

“Also, I need to credit him because he gave every opportunity to Smith and Campbell, the two youngsters. So this is what was lacking before,” Khumalo asserted. “We only focus on what is happening now. We don’t have a plan when it comes to the future, and this is what we must learn from Hugo.”

The Bafana legend sees this emphasis on integrating talented youth as the cornerstone for long-term national team success, a critical lesson learned from past youth international appearances.

“For him to select those young boys for AFCON It really means a lot because we have lost a lot of young players before. We just had Under-17 playing in the World Cup, U-20 playing in the World Cup. So, he’s telling us that that’s our future. So, I’m very much impressed with the squad that is selected.”

Broos will guide Bafana Bafana in his second successive AFCON, which begins on December 21, 2025. South Africa is slotted into Group B alongside regional rivals Zimbabwe, Angola, and North African giants Egypt.