Broos suggests Pirates and Stellies’ form players will get nod for Bafana

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he will assess his three goalkeepers on who to field in Friday's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations opening group stage qualifier against Uganda at Orlando Stadium this week in training. 

The coach said apart from goalkeeper — where Orlando Pirates' Sipho Chaine, SuperSport United's Ricardo Goss and Veli Mothwa of AmaZulu are vying to fill in for injured Bafana captain Ronwen Williams — he has other important positions to strategise on. 

He suggested, with many teams still to see proper action in the 2024-2025 domestic South African season, players from MTN8 finalists Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch FC might be preferred for selection.

In his forward line Broos is missing Pirates' Evidence Makgopa and Al Ahly's Percy Tau, who both played almost all Bafana's games winning the bronze medal at this year's Nations Cup in Ivory Coast, because they have been mostly out of action at their clubs. 

The coach has said his selections might come down to which players have played more intense games and looked good doing it, amid the stuttering start to the Premier Soccer League season. 

The Betway Premiership, apparently due to the late arrival in the off-season of a new sponsor when DStv pulled out a year early, only kicks off on September 14. 

The eight teams who competed in the MTN8 opening round have played at least a game, and semifinalists Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch, Pirates and Cape Town City two more in that competition. 

Pirates and Stellenbosch showed impressive tempo and intensity in beating City and Sundowns respectively in their two-legged semis and both have also looked good continentally in the Caf Champions League and Confederation Cup, making for five games in total between them. 

“We thought a lot over the past few days, Helman [Mkhalele] and me,” Broos said, asked how he is viewing the battle among his three available goalkeepers. 

“Because there are several solutions and not only with the goalkeeping but also players on the pitch. 

“You have to take in mind that some of the players will not have played those intensive games [for their clubs] and others such as the Stellenbosch players and Pirates' players [have been playing full-contact games]. 

“They showed it in their games — when you saw Pirates playing on Saturday [in their 2-0 MTN8 win against Cape Town City], you saw those players were ready, they are playing with a high rhythm. 

“It was the same with Stellenbosch [in their 1-0 win against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday] — and that [tempo and rhythm] was the big thing with Sundowns and Stellenbosch — you could see Sundowns were not ready for the game. 

“We have to take that into account when we put our team together. Also with the goalkeepers, but don't ask me for an answer on that now — that will come in the next days. 

“It has to be a bit of overthinking between Helman and I — and hopefully we will take the right decision.” 

After the clash against Uganda, Bafana meet South Sudan in Juba on Tuesday. The other team in group K is DR Congo, who the South Africans meet home and away next month. 

The next Nations Cup in Morocco has been scheduled for December 21 2025 to January 18 2026.