Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has explained the absence of Percy Tau in the latest squad for the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
Broos announced his final 23-man squad to face Uganda and South Sudan in two 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.
Bafana are eager to secure a place in the upcoming edition following their impressive third-place finish at the postponed 2023 AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast. Broos’ troops are in Group K, where they will face stiff competition from Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda.
Broos will lead Bafana Bafana into their AFCON qualifying campaign, kicking off with a match against Uganda on Friday, September 6, at 6:00PM at Orlando Stadium.
Following the home opener, the team will travel to Central East Africa to face South Sudan on Tuesday, September 10, at 3:00 PM at Juba Stadium.
However, Al Ahly’s star player, Tau, will be absent from the AFCON qualifiers, along with other notable players such as the injured goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. Despite being included in the initial 38-man preliminary squad, Tau has been excluded from the final selection.
WHY HUGO BROOS LEFT OUT PERCY TAU IN HIS LATEST AFCON QUALIFIERS SQUAD
“With Percy Tau, it was not an easy decision for me not to select him,” said Broos.
“But there were two things that I took into account. First of all, Percy has been receiving a lot of criticism at the moment when he plays for Bafana Bafana. So, I try to protect and support him.
“The game against Algeria he was not there. But then you saw that after the game against Algeria, it was the same thing. So they [fans] don’t like him at the moment and expect too much from him.
“I had contact with him, and we agreed that it was part of the game. Someone who would tell me it doesn’t affect him would be lying. ‘So I know it affects you because you love your country and want to play.'”
BAFANA BAFANA COACH CONCERNED ABOUT TAU’S SITUATION AT AL AHLY
“Secondly, the situation at Al Ahly at the moment is not clear. There are a lot of rumours that he is going to leave, and he has a problem with the transfer fee and doesn’t play anymore,” said Broos.
“Since the beginning of August, he has only played 17 minutes. So, the situation is not good, and I was a bit afraid that Percy was not ready at the moment. We need players who are ready, not only physically but mentally.”
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