Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has come out in the open about why he excluded winger Shandre Campbell from his final squad for the upcoming international friendly match against Zambia.
South Africa are set to face their COSAFA rivals at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on November 14 as they begin preparations for the 2025 AFCON tournament. Broos named his final 23-man selection on Thursday with surprise omissions of players who include Relebohile Mofokeng, Grant Kekana and Siyabonga Ngezana.
Campbell was also a casualty after initially featuring in the Belgian’s provisional list. The Club Brugge KV star is the only South African playing in the UEFA Champions League this season.
He made his debut in Europe’s top-tier club competition against Atalanta in October. The 20-year-old was then an unused substitute on Wednesday when Club Brugge hosted La Liga giants Barcelona in a 3-3 goal-fest.
The former SuperSport United wonderkid has appeared in four Belgian Jupiler Pro League games, scoring once. However, Broos is not considering the level of football Campbell has been exposed to in his national team selection, as the player faces the possibility of being left out of the 2025 AFCON squad.
BROOS DISAPPOINTED WITH CAMPBELL’S CLUB BRUGGE SITUATION
“I think it’s a little bit the same as what I told you about the goalkeepers. It’s not the moment now to call those players; we are preparing for AFCON. Shandre is with that [provisional] selection of 45-50 players, like other players,” Broos responded to FARPost.
“But I think just before a big tournament like AFCON, starting to change things, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Shandre is still there, I’m still watching him. I was a little angry about what happened with him because he couldn’t go to the Under-20 FIFA World Cup.
“Brugge told me that they will give him chances. Well, when you see how many chances he’s getting, it’s barely anything. So I’m a little bit disappointed about that.
“But again, now for us, the most important thing, we focus everything on AFCON, and that [selection] will also be something for later.”
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