Nyandoro points out an odd part of Bafana Bafana’s upcoming opponent
Less than a week before the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers resume, Mamelodi Sundowns legend Esrom Nyandoro has shared something that could work in Bafana Bafana’s favour.
Bafana are set to host Zimbabwe on 11 June at the Free State Stadium in the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers. They will also face Nigeria on 7 June.
The Southerners are in Group C, which also includes Lesotho, Benin, and Rwanda. Broos transformed Bafana Bafana into a formidable force, as evidenced by their performance at the recent AFCON finals.
And it is not hard to imagine them ending the qualifiers on top of Group C. They reached the semi-finals of the Africa’s biannual tournament, AFCON, to eventually win bronze medal.
In contrast, one of their upcoming opponents, Zimbabwe, has been ailing. They announced their new technical team on Friday, however, which will be on an interim basis.
Jairos Tapera is the head coach, notably with former Black Leopards coach Sunday Chidzambwa bouncing back as the technical director.
NYANDORO QUESTIONS ZIMBABWE WARRIORS TEAM SELECTION
Looking at the developments in his homeland, the Sundowns legend Esrom Nyandoro, who excelled during his playing day for the Warriors, is disappointed.
And he has shared an odd element about the Warriors, which could somehow work to Bafana’s advantage.
“There is a difference nowadays. Back then, we had a team that had players who were commanding first-team jerseys at their clubs,” Nyandoro told FARPost.
“I was a regular at Sundowns, Nengomasha [Tinashe] was a regular at Chiefs, and others. We were all competing players; there was stiff competition because we understood the job.
“So what do you expect from a team that is largely dominated by players who are not regular at club level? Some of the players being called up, do not deserve. It’s maybe because of the system and poor handling of national team issues.
“At some point, we had several players from the DStv Premiership getting called, though they were not getting game time at their own clubs.
“Right now, we just have players coming in who are probably not regulars at their clubs. To me, that has been the weakest point. We no longer have the quality that was last seen with the likes of Knowledge Musona,” added Nyandoro.
RELATED STORY:Sundowns legend Nyandoro speaks on the decline of Zim stars in the DStv Prem