Legendary SA footballer Doctor Khumalo has hailed Elias Mokwana’s recent run in the two international friendlies for Bafana Bafana but raised a major concern about the progression of players at national team level.
The Sekhukhune United man was outstanding in the two matches against Andorra and Algeria. His goal against Andorra saved Bafana the blushes, while his deflected shot against Algeria ensured South Africa held the Desert Foxes to a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Khumalo is convinced Bafana coach Hugo Broos has unearthed a diamond in the man nicknamed ‘Kiddeo’. But he has questioned the national team’s approach to player development.
The Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs legend highlighted the recent inclusion of 24-year-old Elias Mokwana as a ‘young player,’ contrasting it with Brazil’s strategy of fielding 17-year-old prodigy Endrick against England at Wembley.
Coincidentally, as Mokwana was making his Bafana debut, Endrick, the Real Madrid-bound teenage sensation, was earning his milestone call-up to the Samba Boys.
“The unfortunate part is that we’re doing vice versa what the rest of the world is doing. We’re looking at a 24-year-old [Elias Mokwana]; for us, he’s a young player,” Khumalo told FARPost.
WHY DOCTOR KHUMALO ADVOCATES FOR INTEGRATING YOUNG TALENTS
Khumalo suggests South Africa needs to integrate even younger talent. While acknowledging Mokwana’s talent and positive style of play, Khumalo believes the focus should be on nurturing players even earlier in their careers.
“That alone raises some eyebrows in terms of our player identification and progression,” Khumalo continued. This statement suggests Khumalo might be advocating for a more aggressive approach to introducing younger, potentially more dynamic players into the national team setup.
The former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana talisman’s argument is valid. In recent years, Broos has handed debuts to players on the other side of 30. Miguel Timm and Mlungisi Mbunjana are two players who earned their debuts quite late.
Meanwhile, Khumalo believes Mokwana and AmaZulu’s 25-year-old winger Mondli Mbanjwa could provide a different dimension to Bafana’s attack if properly integrated.
“They’re outright wingers, and they’ll give a different dimension in terms of options,” Khumalo concluded.
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