Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena says there shouldn’t be debates about Gaston Sirino potentially playing for Bafana Bafana.
The 31-year-old playmaker will be eligible to switch his international allegiance to South Africa this year after spending five years in the country.
As one of the leading performers in the DStv Premiership since his arrival from Bolivar, the Uruguayan has been subject of debate in recent weeks.
The South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan told iDiski Times last month that it would be up to coach Hugo Broos whether he would be seeking to use the player.
“France won the World Cup, got to the finals of this World Cup with players that have a lot of African descent and grew up and were born in different African countries but are now eligible to represent their national team,” Mokwena said when asked about the calls for Sirino.
It was a rather split opinion from the public when the talk first surfaced – but it’s not been the first time as former Masandawana coach Pitso Mosimane advocated for the switch during his time with the Tshwane giants.
“It surprises me that it’s a discussion, it shouldn’t be a discussion, in fact the talk should be how do we make our national team better,” Mokwena said about the debates.
“If our feeling is that one of the solutions is to nationalise some of the exceptional players who don’t get to play for their national teams, then for sure if it is a possibility that can help us to win and get ourselves to that level, then I see no reason why we should not be able to do that.
“To talk about Gaston as a human being, an incredible footballer, incredible human being and someone, we as Mamelodi Sundowns are very lucky to have.”
Sirino has scored 36 goals and registered 39 assists in 164 games for Sundowns across all competitions since his arrival in 2018.
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