Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has accused SA journalists of pushing an agenda when players from their ‘favourite’ big teams are not selected for the national team.
Broos and his Bafana side are in Polokwane ahead of their friendly international matches against Tanzania and Mozambique. They will take on the East African country on Friday, 6 June at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium and Mozambique on Tuesday, 10 June at the Loftus Stadium in Pretoria.
The Belgian was not necessarily asked about players from Kaizer Chiefs or Orlando Pirates, but during one of his responses to a question from a journalist, he reiterated his stance that he only picks his players based on performances and not on their clubs.
HUGO BROOS MAKES BOLD CLAIM ABOUT SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNALISTS
He says some journalists are fans of big clubs such as PSL giants Pirates and Chiefs, and push an agenda.
“I feel that some journalists are linked with clubs. They are supporters of those clubs,” said Broos in Polokwane on Monday.
“For a supporter, it’s very difficult to accept that you didn’t take a player from his team. It’s not really the fact that you chose it, but it’s because it’s a player of that team, and they are a supporter. That is what happens here.”
The Bafan coach stands firm on his selection philosophy, asserting that he picks players solely based on their performance and form. He emphasised that his decisions are driven by what players show on the field, rather than their club affiliations or past reputations.
“It’s a question of choice from my side. Sometimes it’s tactics, and sometimes it’s because the player is number two or three in terms of rankings in that position,” added Broos. “For people outside, they are always linking players from certain clubs. So when I drop a player from Pirates, they say ‘ah, it’s a player from Pirates’.
“When I don’t take players from Chiefs, it’s like I have killed someone. It has nothing to do with clubs when I make choices. I don’t make choices because they are from Pirates or Chiefs. No, I make a choice without knowing if this player is from Chiefs or Chippa [United]. I just take a player. If you have to drop players from big teams, what is the problem? You have to try to make a national team as strong as possible to play games.”
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