What’s the point of Bafana playing top dogs like France?

Bafana Bafana’s 5-0 hammering by France on Tuesday night was, if nothing else, a perfect illustration of the gulf in class between the world’s best and South African football.

There has been a lot of talks that Bafana can learn and improve from a thumping like this as if simply rubbing shoulders with Kylian Mbappe and company will elevate their game.

There may be tiny gains. Perhaps Bafana’s players will return to their respective clubs determined to improve and work harder than ever.

Maybe head coach Hugo Broos will gain insight that will help get Bafana to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

But there is no hiding from the fact that the South African game is nowhere on the global stage and that this is unlikely to change any time soon.

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We simply are not producing enough talent on these shores, from our schools to our academies.

There are some youngsters in Europe but compared to other African nations like Senegal, Nigeria, and Cameroon, the talent pool is tiny.

Most of Bafana’s players are from the local Premier Soccer League, where the standard of play is nowhere near high enough.

It’s hard to know what the route is for Bafana out of this well of mediocrity.