Menzi Magubane
Extra-Time: Hugo Broos’s absence at the recent Cosafa Cup could speak volumes about the coach’s trust in the team’s young players, says Menzi Magubane.
Bafana Bafana’s failure to defend their Cosafa Cup title last week hasn’t sunk in yet with most football lovers in the country. Their minds are instead on Banyana Banyana, who are doing their best to make people forget about Bafana’s dismal showing.
What was noticeable in the competition that was held in Durban was the absence of head coach Hugo Broos. His assistant Helman Mkhalele was once again in charge of the team.
It’s not the first time Mkhalele has stood in for Broos in this tournament. Last year, just two months after Broos took over, Bafana did well by winning the competition but the Belgian was nowhere to be seen.
At that time he was back home to complete his Covid-19 vaccination.
It is understood that he has returned home once again but this time it wasn’t explained why he wasn’t there.
He will also miss Bafana’s match against Comoros on Friday in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier.
The matches he has missed were not in the Fifa calendar and it’s not easy to get all the players to compete.
However, there are other players in the country that will give anything just to be in the Bafana setup.
Mkhalele has shown that there is talent in the country when he managed to win the Cosafa Cup last year with a second string team.
Even last week he assembled inexperienced players to compete in the competition. Yes they didn’t defend the title successfully, but they were there to show that they are fully behind the country and given more chances they will come running to wear the Bafana colours.
Mkhalele is expected to call the very same team when taking on Comoros. Wouldn’t it have been great for these players to have the head coach present so that they can impress him?
