Broos sheds light on Bafana's captaincy change
- Martin T
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has clarified his decision to alter the national team's captaincy for the upcoming international friendly against Tanzania.
The match is set to take place this evening (7:30 CAT) - Friday at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, where South Africa will also face Mozambique next Tuesday.
Initially, upon the South African National Team's arrival in Polokwane on Monday, Broos had named Orlando Pirates defender Nkosinathi Sibisi as captain. However, in a media briefing ahead of the Tanzania clash, Broos announced that Stellenbosch FC defender Fawaaz Basadien would instead lead the team.
Broos elaborated on the change on Thursday, stating, "It’s a question of who will play the first game. Sibisi will play the second game." He continued, "He is our captain, but as I said, I want to give playtime to everyone. So you have to look a little bit to see who I will put in the team. You can’t put all youngsters in one team."
The Bafana coach emphasised the need for squad balance. "So you have to have a balance in your team," Broos added. "With the team that will play tomorrow, Fawaaz is the one who will play. So the choice was made very quickly."
For Basadien, who has been linked with moves to top South African clubs like Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, and Mamelodi Sundowns, leading the national team is a massive honour. "For me, I didn’t expect it to come so soon," he remarked, "But at the same time, it’s an honour and a privilege to be captain of the national team."
The talented left-back expressed his long-held aspiration: "It’s obviously one of the things you want to dream about growing up as a footballer."
Despite the unexpected timing, Basadien feels ready for the responsibility, particularly in mentoring younger players. "But I didn’t expect it to come as soon as it came, but I am ready and prepared to help those who are young in the team," he affirmed.
"When I first came into the team, there were guys who helped me. So I am willing to do that now with the young players."
