Hlatshwayo makes honest admission regarding stint as Bafana captain
SuperSport United defender Thulani Hlatshwayo has admitted that he and the Bafana Bafana squad of his era failed to accomplish vision 2022.
Vision 2022, set by the SA Football Association (SAFA) was to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Hlatshwayo explained why he won’t lash out at Bafana coach Hugo Broos for dropping him from the national team.
He feels that it’s reasonable for the coach to build a new team after Bafana’s AFCON and World Cup qualification failure.
The 32-year-old centre-back was the captain of South Africa from 2017 until 2021 when the Belgian tactician took the reins.
The Soweto-born defender has been overlooked since then with Broos going for a more youthful squad.
WHY THULANI HLATSHWAYO WON’T HIT OUT AT BROOS
“Bafana Bafana is our team, you need to deserve it to wear that jersey,” he told the media during SuperSport’s camp in Durban.
“As for the coach to not contact me, share the plans going forward, nothing like that happened.
“But I’m not one to fight back and bash him.
“When we were there three, four years back, [we had] vision 2022, qualifying for AFCON and the [FIFA] World Cup and we didn’t achieve that.
“When you look at our game against Sudan, we didn’t qualify for AFCON just by a point.
“So I think it’s logical to start afresh. We have seen all the national teams in the World Cup, they are refreshing their squads.
“And for us, we have spent all the years that we have spent without any silverware, so another generation must take over,” added the former Orlando Pirates skipper.
Hlatshwayo has made over 50 appearances in Bafana colours and led the national team to the quarterfinals of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
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