Bafana coach Broos explains continued snub of Kodisang and Mothiba

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has explained why he hasn’t called up some of South Africa’s high-profile overseas-based players including French-based striker Lebo Mothiba and Portugal-based winger Kobamelo Kodisang.

The duo were not included by Broos in his latest squad to play Mozambique and Angola in this month's friendlies at Mbombela Stadium.

Kodisang,23, a former South Africa Under 23 international who plays for Moreirense FC in the Portuguese second-tier, in particular has been in top form and scored an opening goal for his top-of-the-table side when they beat Porto B 3-2 at the weekend.

Mothiba has had his international career halted by injuries but he’s been getting some minutes on the field at his French Ligue 1 side RC Strasbourg, who have recalled the bulky centre-forward from a loan spell at Troyes. Mothiba has scored two goals in the last three matches, and played in six of Strasbourg's 14 league games.

Mothiba has scored four goals in 14 games for Bafana and last played for the national team during Stuart Baxter’s tenure at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals, where South Africa reached the quarterfinals.

Broos was asked why he has not called up these two players, who meet Broos' youthful age criteria as he rebuilds for the future, since being appointed Bafana coach in May 2021. The coach said in the case of Kodisang, he has been able to call up Kaizer Chiefs' Kgaogelo Sekgota, who performed well in the friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana in September.

“I’ve said that it’s very easy to name all the players who are playing abroad. But let’s say I take Kodisang out then tell me who do I have to drop out of the 23? It’s easy for you [the media] to say, 'This one has to be there',” Broos said.

“I read in newspapers that five players have to be there now. OK. But who are the five players that I have to take out of the current team? Sekgota didn’t disappoint me in the last two games.”

On Mothiba, Broos said: “It's simple, Mothiba has been with the team in the last two weeks and is just playing half an hour, 15 minutes or something like that. Is that a standard to call up a player? I don’t know; I don’t say so.

“You need to produce performances one after another. He was injured for a long time and he didn’t play at Troyes last year, so let’s see what happens.”

The coach insisted the door is not closed on Kodisang and he could well be one of the players he will call in March when Bafana play Liberia in two 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers that South Africa have to win to qualify for the finals in Ivory Coast. 

“With Kodisang it’s the same [as Mothiba]. Kodisang played for the Olympic [U-23] team [in 2020] and after that he was at Braga in the third division in Portugal, and he didn’t play.

“Now suddenly he’s good? OK, let him go on being good and then we’ll have a very good player in March.

“I don’t want to take Kodisang to replace another player now because the players who were in the camp in September satisfied me. You see it in the selection but again we'll keep an eye on Kodisang and if he carries on like this he’ll certainly be there in March.”

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