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The Rockets chairman Tim Sukazi has opened up on the strategic decisions made by the club to ensure the defender secured a place in Hugo Broos' final Bafana Bafana squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The boss insists that the player's mid-season move to Mamelodi Sundowns was designed specifically to elevate his profile for the national team.

The road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been anything but smooth sailing for the 24-year-old winger whose career once hung by a thread following a period of unemployment and multiple rejections. Now a key figure for Bafana Bafana, the 24-year-old’s rise serves as a testament to resilience after nearly walking away from the game entirely.

Following a controversial squad announcement by SAFA and Hugo Broos on Wednesday night, while the nation was glued to their screens, backlash quickly followed over how the six players who missed the final cut were treated. However, amid the outrage, there now appears to be a twist in the tale, with reports suggesting the omitted stars will still travel to the global showpiece.

The travelling squad selected by Hugo Broos has divided opinion among supporters, with some frustrated by notable omissions. While a few fans have threatened to turn their backs on the national team, the man behind South Africa’s iconic 2010 FIFA World Cup opener insists that national pride must come first and urges unity beyond squad selection debates.