Bafana Bafana 'can do better!' Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Shaun Bartlett rejects in-form Mamelodi Sundowns forward Lucas Ribeiro Costa - 'We don't need him to play for us'

South Africa are set to play Uganda and South Sudan in Group K's 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Hugo Bross-led team will seal their place in the biennial competition even without a win in the remaining games if third-placed Congo drop points in their remaining fixtures.

Mamelodi Sundowns' attacker Lucas Ribeiro recently conceded he would love to play for Bafana Bafana if given a chance. He has been a hit for Masandawana since the 2023/24 campaign. 

This season, he has already managed seven goals and four assists in just 12 outings across all competitions.

However, former Kaizer Chiefs striker Shaun Bartlett is not convinced Bafana Bafana need the South American.

"I don’t think we need him to play for us. We must believe in our own," the 52-year-old said as quoted by the Sowetan.

"We must go to the right places to find players who can represent us. I have no issue with foreign players because I was one myself, but we have to do better than we are in terms of identifying the right talent," he added.

Al Ahly attacker Percy Tau was also excluded from the squad owing to his game-time struggles at his club.

"Game-time is important and Tau surely will get a wake-up call to consider leaving Ahly. We have big tournaments coming up and you need players who are playing regularly. That was a brave but right decision," Bartlett concluded.

Gaston Sirino has been delivering for Sundowns, initially, and now Chiefs but Broos opted against having him in his squad. It is interesting to see whether in the future he might have Ribeiro in his plans.

As for Tau, he has no option but to try and get another team that will guarantee him enough playing time at the highest level.