Bafana’s Broos blasts PSL and clubs over lack of cooperation

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos is clearly not keen to win any friends at the Premier Soccer League, as he again lambasted the PSL and its clubs on Tuesday for a failure to assist the senior national team in their preparations.

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The Belgian has built up a list of grievances since taking over as Bafana coach, and the latest is that Mamelodi Sundowns sent striker Thabiso Kutumela for a Covid-19 vaccination on the same day he was supposed to join the Bafana camp, ahead of back-to-back Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia.

Bafana will play the away game on Saturday and the return match at FNB Stadium on October 12.

Broos, who has also been hit by a no-show from Orlando Pirates midfielder Goodman Mosele, began his press conference at Dobsonville Stadium by expressing his anger at what he clearly sees as a lack of cooperation.

“Three months ago, when we came and wanted to organise two friendlies, suddenly there was the last league game in the middle of the camp, which is against the rules of Fifa,” said Broos. Bafana ended up only playing one friendly, a 3-2 win over Uganda.

“Then we asked for a meeting with the coaches from the first division (DStv Premiership). This was refused. Then there was the incident at Orlando Pirates when myself and my assistants were not allowed to see the game,” added the Bafana coach, in reference to the fact that they were turned away from the Pirates-Sundowns game at Orlando Stadium on September 25.

“Then yesterday, Mamelodi Sundowns organised a vaccination for Kutumela. I have nothing against the vaccination, it is a very good thing, but something against the timing. They organised the vaccination during a Bafana camp.

“The Fifa rules say that after the last club game, when the players are released, no activity is possible during a Fifa period. Because Thabiso was not there yesterday (Monday) – he couldn’t refuse it, the club pays him – we had to change the programme. There was no meeting with the players, no photo and so on.

“Secondly, if you have a vaccination, symptoms are possible. If today or tomorrow Thabiso has a flu, a fever or a cough, I can’t take him to Ethiopia.”

“And then there was something I have never seen in my life,” continued Broos.

“A player didn’t come to camp. Goodman Mosele didn’t come, he didn’t leave a message, he was unreachable, so we had to replace him.

“So I have had the feeling a bit that clubs in this country are more important than Bafana.”