Bafana coach Broos slams PSL for staging Carling Cup during World Cup break

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is disappointed in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) again, this time for organising a one-day tournament in November, a time when he wanted to have a national team camp or play international friendlies.

Given the Fifa break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from November 20 to December 18 Broos could have had his top players available for such a camp. SA's DStv Premiership plays its last round of matches before the break on October 30, the MTN8 final is set down for November 5, and the league only resumes on December 30. 

Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns, the clubs that Broos usually chooses his squad from, are likely to feature in a once-off Carling Black Label Cup on November 13, five days before the World Cup kicks off. 

Announcing his squad to play two friendlies against Sierra Leone on September 24 and Botswana on September 27, both at FNB Stadium, Broos said he wanted a camp in November to prepare for the two crucial 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Liberia in March.

Bafana have to collect at least four points against Liberia to qualify for the 2023 Afcon in Ivory Coast after they lost their opening qualifier 2-1 away to Morocco in June.

The Bafana coach said he has written to the PSL asking them to consider moving the Carling Cup to another date so he can choose all the players he wants for the Bafana camp or potential international friendlies in November.

“This afternoon,” Broos said with sarcastic smile when he was asked when he’s expecting a response from the PSL.

“I need a reply as soon as possible because we can’t do anything now. We don’t have enough players to play the team in November.

“We can’t say yes [we’ll play friendly matches] because if I say yes, then I don’t have the players — I will have a big problem. It depends on the clubs and the league. I will be happy if they postponed the Carling Cup or something like that.

“They’ll have four teams in one day, but I think they can easily play it at the beginning of December or just before the season restarts — why not? That will make the players free from the November 5 and I can then start the camp.

“But then I have to have an agreement with the clubs because they’ll give a holiday to their players because they’ll restart the preparation for the season at the end of November or the beginning of December. So they’ll give them a bit of a holiday. If they want to do that I can’t have the players either.”

This is not the first time Broos has clashed with the PSL for organising the tournament when he felt he could have used the time to prepare Bafana. 

The league hastily organised a DStv Compact Cup which involved four fan-voted teams in January during break for the Covid-19 delayed 2021 Afcon in Cameroon. Broos was angry with that because Bafana were free to play friendlies at that time or have a camp as they had not qualified for the Afcon. 

“Again I have no comment anymore on that because I have commented enough in the past," said the Bafana coach.

"But you [the media] have seen what has happened, and it’s up to you now to also react. It’s not only about me because when I react everybody is angry.

“You know what I feel and you know what I think and I've explained it well. We’d like to have a camp in November.”