It SHOULD be expected that there are players who do not care about the fans of their teams who will be left unless the Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, ties the last bolts before going to the World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the United States of America (USA).
This is the opinion of Roger De Sa who is one of Bafana’s goalkeepers who was on the bench for the entire tournament when they won the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title in 1996.
De Sa, who has become a football coach and analyst, responded in this way by being left out of Orlando Pirates’ Sipho Chaine in Bafana who are busy preparing for the World Cup with two games against Panama.
Chaine’s remaining in this squad is shocking because he is doing so well in the Betway Premiership that he is among the goalkeepers who are in line to take home the Betway Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season award for 2025/2026.
When Broos was asked about his appointment of Sekhukhune United’s Renaldo Leaner instead of Chaine, he replied that finding a place in Bafana is not something to be taken lightly.
De Sa, who has worked at Pirates as head coach, does not believe that there is a problem that Broos has with Chaine directly, but it coincides with the fact that there are other players that he wanted to see up close before deciding whether to go to the World Cup.
“There are many players who should be at the ongoing Bafana camp in Cape Town, but the coach has decided to use this (camp) to see them up close,” said De Sa.
“Chaine’s situation is noteworthy because he is doing well these days for the Pirates, but his absence from the Panama matches does not mean that he will no longer be part of the squad going to the World Cup.
“I don’t think that Chaine should be discouraged by his stay, but it should teach the players and us fans that Broos will not be able to go with everyone to the World Cup,” said De Sa.
“There is a number that has been calculated for Broos to bring to the World Cup, so it is important to understand that there are players who will not play in the World Cup when they are loved by their teams.
“There’s no need for Chaine to panic, but we fans should always remember that some of our loved ones will be left out of the World Cup squad because Broos can’t go with them all.”