Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has made it clear that concerns over the heavy workload of Mamelodi Sundowns players will not influence his selections, insisting he will continue to rely on them for the national team.
South Africa played to a 1-1 draw with Panama in an international friendly at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday night.
The teams will meet again on Tuesday at DHL Stadium as both sides aim to improve on their performances.
All seven Sundowns players that are in the squad were involved in the match, with six starting and one coming off the bench in the second half.
When asked whether he would rotate his squad for the second clash, Broos indicated that major changes are unlikely.
While he acknowledged the demanding schedule faced by Sundowns players, he said that’s not his problem, emphasising that his priority is preparing the team for the FIFA World Cup.
“No, we will not see a lot of changes, not at all. I know that the Sundowns players have an overload of the programme also the next weeks,” said Broos.
“But, okay, this is not my problem, I have to prepare the World Cup.
“And I think when we have a disappointment in the World Cup, people will not say, ‘Oh, coach, it’s nothing because you saved the players of Sundowns’.
“I think Sundowns has enough players. They have 35 players in there. So, they can change. Certainly, here in PSL, if [Teboho] Mokoena or [Aubrey] Modiba or [Khuliso] Mudau, they don’t play, they [Sundowns] always win the game in PSL.
“So, I don’t see the problem with them.”
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