Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo has thrown his weight behind national team coach Hugo Broos’s squad selection, particularly commending the Belgian mentor for the selection of two players.
Reflecting on the preliminary squad, which featured over 50 players, Khumalo suggested that Broos is the first national coach in a long time to face such a positive selection dilemma.
Broos guides Bafana for his second successive AFCON in Morocco, which kicks off on 21 December 2025. South Africa is in Group B alongside neighbours Zimbabwe, Angola and Egypt.
“I think this is the first coach to have a headache with player selection,” Khumalo stated. “For the first time, I’ve seen a coach whose preliminary squad is more than 40 or 30. So he had 54. So clearly, there’s something that is happening within the PSL, and the players are raising their hands.”
The Kaizer Chiefs icon believes the depth of quality in the local league is unprecedented, making Broos’s pool formidable.
“It was not easy for the coach actually to choose his squad because there are so many players that I personally, I can say we can probably have 4 or 5 other squads. I think they will do the job for him.”
THE TWO PLAYERS KHUMALO COMMENDS BROOS FOR SELECTING
Khumalo specifically highlighted the inclusion of young talents like Tylon Smith and Shandre Campbell as a vital, forward-thinking move that was absent in previous setups.
“Also, I need to credit him because he gave every opportunity to Smith and Campbell, the two youngsters. So this is what was lacking before. We only focus on what is happening now. We don’t have a plan when it comes to the future, and this is what we must learn from Hugo,” Khumalo asserted.
The Bafana legend sees this emphasis on youth as a crucial step toward securing the national team’s long-term success.
“For him to select those young boys. It really means a lot because we have lost a lot of young players before. We just had Under-17 playing in the World Cup, Under-20, playing in the World Cup. So, he’s telling us that that’s our future. So, I’m very much impressed with the squad that is selected.”
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