Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has addressed the unexpected omission of Sipho Chaine, the inclusion of Renaldo Leaner, and the importance of Ricardo Goss.
The Belgian mentor announced his final squad on Thursday for two upcoming international friendlies against Panama national football team, as part of preparations for the FIFA World Cup.
Despite leading the league with 14 clean sheets in 21 matches, Chaine was notably left out. Broos emphasised that missing out is not just a concern for those excluded, but also for players selected, as no place in the World Cup squad is guaranteed.
“Everybody has to be worried when they don’t perform and I don’t say that Sipho is not performing,” said Broos on SABC1 when asked whether Chaine should be worried.
“But everybody has to be worried. It’s not a charity, it’s something that is very serious.”
Regarding Leaner of Sekhukhune United, Broos explained that the call-up is an opportunity to evaluate him in camp, after previously naming him in provisional squads without selecting him in the final lineup.
“And again, Leaner, I want to see him, I want to see him with us. I want to see him at the camp because it’s not only on the pitch but also outside the pitch and we will see,” he explained.
“I think Leaner is always on the list of the preliminary squad and I think it was a good occasion now to get him with us. He was already with us a few months ago, but I want to see him again and we will see what that gives.”
Broos also highlighted the importance of including Siwelele goalkeeper Goss in the squad, praising his strong mentality, consistent performances, and what he described as ‘Bafana DNA’.
“If you talk about Bafana DNA, that’s an example of it. He has a good mentality,” said Broos.
“He’s a guy who’s always working in training. If you need him, he’s there, he’s a good guy for the rest of the team and that is very important.
“So again, the performance a few weeks ago of him were fantastic. I saw the game also [against Pirates], that means again the qualities of Ricardo.
“And he’s been with us already from the beginning I think. I don’t drop him, certainly not because I have confidence in him and I know if something happens with Ronwen [Williams] that we always can count on him.”
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