Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has revealed that the Betway Premiership clash between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will not have much bearing on his squad selection.
Pirates defeated Sundowns 2-1 at FNB Stadium to narrow the gap at the top with 15 points with four matches in hand.
The clubs contributed sizable numbers of players in the national team facing Lesotho and Benin in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this coming Friday and next Tuesday.
But the coach stated this game will not really be a factor for his starting XI ahead of the national team camp in Polokwane, and it doesn’t mean because Pirates won he will now pick of their players.
“Certainly I look at the last games before the camp but this is not decisive,” said Broos.
“I know yesterday [Sunday], confrontation between those two clubs, Sundowns and Pirates, it was not the right moment for such a game, but it’s not because Pirates won tomorrow or next Friday, all the players from Pirates will be in and those from Sundowns because maybe they get a mental thing, they will not be in the team. It is not like that.
“I will make my team what I think it is the best team. And the only thing I’m happy for is that, okay, the game was intense, it was an important game, but there was nothing happening between players.
“Sometimes it’s so intense and there are troubles and that should have been not good. But you see now, when you see the players, they are with the national team so club allegiance doesn’t count.
“I see on the table players with Sundowns and Pirates are laughing with each other. So everything is focused now on the on the next 10 days.”
