Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has offered the latest update on the injury of the SA’s left-winger Thapelo Maseko.
Following their 2-1 victory on penalties against Cape Verde in the CAF AFCON quarter-finals last Saturday, Bafana suffered an injury blow of Maseko.
Maseko had to be replaced by Terrence Mashego after he sustained a hamstring injury in the second half of the extra time.
SA football fanatics were left worried as star winger Maseko was taken off the field against Cape Verde.
HUGO BROOS ON THAPELO MASEKO’S INJURY
The Belgian mentor confirmed that Maseko’s participation in the ongoing AFCON tournament is over due to his hamstring injury.
Broos further divulged that the Mamelodi Sundowns man won’t be replaced due to the tight programme and flight schedules.
“A little update about the injured player Thapelo Maseko. So, he has a muscle injury, Grade 3. So, the tournament is almost finished, but he stays with us. He doesn’t go to South Africa,” said Broos during Bafana’s press conference.
“And we don’t replace him. There are problems with the visa and flights. If we should replace him, the player will arrive on Thursday or, in the worst case, maybe Friday. So, we don’t want to do that, and we have the opportunity to solve the problem in the group. For that, Thapelo will not be replaced.”
Broos’ troops will take on rivals Nigeria in the AFCON semis on Wednesday, 07 February 2024. Bafana qualified for the AFCON competition semi-finals for the first time since 2000.
The much-awaited showdown will take place at Stade Bouaké Stadium. The kick-off is at 19:00 [SA time].
The national team will be hoping that the spirit of Bafana’s AFCON ’96 winning team will guide them to the promised land come Wednesday night.
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