Bafana’s Broos delighted to see less ‘fat-ass’ players in the PSL

Hugo Broos believes the Premier Soccer League has improved greatly since he took over as Bafana Bafana head coach in 2021.

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The Belgian admitted in an interview this week that he was astounded when he arrived at the fitness of some “fat-ass” players.

Broos – ‘Already a change’

“We can see already a change in the PSL,” said Broos.

“There are still games where you say ‘oh well (this isn’t good). But in the beginning there were games when I couldn’t believe my eyes at the level of the game and the players. We called them fat-ass players.

“You see them sometimes (now), but you see them less. How can you play at a high level when you have an ass like that? You need to be an athlete. If you don’t live like a professional, you don’t train well and you don’t go to gym, you are finished.”

Broos believes the improvement in the standard of the PSL means he is also now more confident it will not be a problem when key players get injured. One example is Sundowns maestro Themba Zwane. Zwane is only now back on the training pitch with Masandawana after rupturing his achilles tendon playing for Bafana last year.

Zwane probably not ready for Bafana in March

The Bafana coach does not think Zwane will be ready in time for vital 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin at the end of March.

“I don’t think we can count on him (Zwane) in March,” added Broos.

“By June I think he will be sharp and ready. But (Patrick) Maswanganyi did very well in the last game. And we have (Relebohile) Mofokeng. He can also play in that position, so I am less worried than I was the moment Themba was injured.

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“We can also count on Themba to come back. But we also have to think that he is 35. With an injury like that, I think it will be good, no problem, but we must hope he again finds his rhythm. It will be hard for one year.”