Tinkler’s view on expected Sundowns’ dominance in Bafana’s AFCON squad
Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler has had his say on the expected dominance of the high-flying Mamelodi Sundowns players in the Bafana Bafana squad for AFCON.
According to the reports, the 24 qualified national teams should announce their provisional squads of 55 players in the upcoming week.
Meanwhile, CAF picked the 3rd of January as the deadline to submit the final 23-man squad for the continental showpiece. That will be ten days before the start of the competition in Ivory Coast.
The Bafana Bafana gaffer Hugo Broos is also expected to disclose his team as he’s eyeing his second AFCON after winning it with Cameroon in 2017.
Having dominated domestic football for almost a decade, the Brazilians have had the most representation in the Bafana squad for the most part of Broos’ stint since he took over in 2021.
The DStv Premiership champions are likely to dominate the Belgian tactician’s warriors when the squad is announced.
Tinkler, who won AFCON with SA in 1996, says a player shouldn’t be just picked because they play for Sundowns. However, he supports the idea of gathering a team with cohesion.
He stated if “the majority” of the Tshwane giants would help the nation put up a strong challenge in the tournament, Broos would then have to rely more on what is at Rulani Mokwena’s disposal.
ERIC TINKLER SAYS SUNDOWNS PLAYERS ARE CHOSEN BECAUSE ‘THEY’RE BEST PLAYERS’
“I don’t think it should be ‘Oh because it’s Sundowns players’. We should be selecting the strongest possible national team,” said Tinkler.
“Spain won the 2010 World Cup and the majority of players came from where? Barcelona. They were selected. Why? Because they were the best players at the time.
“So, if it happens to be Sundowns then, but they’re chosen not because they’re Sundowns players. They’re chosen because they are the best players.
“That’s how people should think about it in my view.”
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