Pitso Mosimane addresses plethora of Sundowns contingent in Bafana squad

Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has addressed the plethora of Mamelodi Sundowns players in his squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers later this month.

The 62-year-old mentor, who previously coached the Brazilians, included 13 players from the African champions in his squad, with Betway Premiership title holders Orlando Pirates closely following with seven players in the team.

With a section of the South African football fraternity crying bias in the team selection, the three-time CAF Champions League winner says he was taken aback by the number of Sundowns players in his squad.

“I was so shocked, I spoke to somebody next to me, I said, oh my days I never thought we have so many players from Mamelodi Sundowns,” said Mosimane, who’s in his second spell as the South African national team coach.

"Sometimes you choose because you choose the best left-backs in the country, and then you go to [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi, you've got Aubrey [Modiba] and then you have [Fawaaz] Basadien, who's been doing so well.

"And I think [Miguel] Cardoso has also helped Basadien to play because before Basadien was not playing, and he was not in the national team - now he's playing.

Furthermore, Mosimane has come under scrutiny for selecting more than one Sundowns player for a single position, but the renowned tactician highlighted the players' pedigree and ability to compete at the highest level.

“Sometimes you can ask me why they come from the same team, but those are the ones who win the trophy [FIFA African-Asian-Pacific Cup] last week, and those are the ones who are also top of the log. So, you've got to respect that,” added the Bafana boss.

"And it's the same for goalkeepers, so it's a challenge for us in the country to say the coach has selected two goalkeepers from the same team. So, it's not my story to tell why are they in the same team.

"Maybe one should be playing in another team that is a top team, but it's not my situation. It's the way it is, I've found it like this. So, I'm not here to shake the tree for the apples to fall. I want to have the team also to represent the country.

"So, you [media] can ask those questions as to why are they all in one place. I was afraid that [Thabang] Matuludi is going to go there [Pirates], and I don't want to be fighting with [Kamogelo] Sebelebele, so let the competition be there.

"I'm so happy that it happened that way, so it's beautiful, let it go that way. I wish I could do that in all the positions.

Bafana will host Guinea at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, before facing Eritrea four days later at a neutral venue in Cairo, where they are also set to lock horns with Egypt in an international friendly match on 04 October.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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