South Africa coach Hugo Broos quickly put the lid on Mamelodi Sundowns’ hopes that their players might be released from the Bafana Bafana camp with the Carling Knockout final to be played on Saturday.
Broos is refusing to allow Sundowns players to return to the club ahead of the country’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Sudan on Tuesday, even though Bafana have already secured their spot in the finals in Morocco next year.
IT IS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!!
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) November 18, 2024
One more sleep, and then it is time for Group K leaders and Qualified Bafana Bafana to face South Sudan in our final AFCON qualifier.#BafanaPride#AfconQualifier pic.twitter.com/s3rFo6KmZK
Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has already expressed his concern that his players only return to their club three days before Sundowns meet Magesi in the final in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
“Sundowns players are till tomorrow after the game, players of Bafana, and they stay players of Bafana,” was Broos’s sharp answer to a question at a Monday press conference about releasing the Brazilians’ contingent back to their club.
Bathusi Aubaas, Aubrey Modiba, Tebeho Mokwena, Thapelo Morena, Khuliso Mudau, Mothobi Mvala, Iqraam Rayners and captain Ronwen Williams make up an eight-man contingent from the champions in the Bafana squad, which beat Uganda 2-0 away in Kampala on Friday to go top of Group K and now face South Sudan in their last qualifier.
“I don't like taking this game as a friendly game. And when you start changing everything, that also impacts on the players. We want to be first in the group, and we will try to put our best team tomorrow on the pitch,” added Broos.
It's an important game because we want to be first in the group, and we also want to show something, if my information is right, to the big crowd who will be in the stadium tomorrow. We’ve had two amazing evenings in Bloemfontein and in PE with the crowd in the stadium and with a nice win. So we will do that again tomorrow here in in Cape Town,” said the Bafana coach.