The Association has secured a transformative agreement with the top European league, marking a major milestone for the growth of the local game. This historic collaboration is set to open unprecedented doors for young talent across the country while strengthening technical and commercial ties with one of Europe's elite leagues.
The Buccaneers' youth product has been warned that his place in the Bafana setup for the upcoming World Cup is far from guaranteed. After a difficult domestic campaign that saw Burnley relegated from the Premier League, a former national team boss believes the striker must prove himself all over again.
At times, the Burnley star has been criticised for his low output when playing for the national team. Others have suggested that the Masandawana forward should always be called up instead, given his stats in the Premier Soccer League. Given how critical goals will be needed at the global bonanza, Broos is set to pick a striker who will give him exactly that.
The race for the Premier Soccer League Golden Boot is heating up, with the Masandawana star firmly among the leading contenders. He has kept himself in the conversation for the top-scorer crown. However, his impressive exploits in front of goal have not earned the national team coach's appreciation.
The former English Premier League player has leapt to the defence of the Burnley forward after he was criticised by his national team coach. The striker, who previously turned out for Orlando Pirates, has come under scrutiny over his performances for the national side. Despite the criticism, he continues to shoulder the nation’s hopes of being prolific at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
South Africa’s attack has become a growing concern ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with their forwards struggling to find form at club level. Of those players, the Burnley forward has been attracting more attention.
The Burnley star led Bafana Bafana's attacking line against Panama on Friday but failed to deliver. He was one of the players who were highly criticised, especially because of the chances he wasted. After the friendly encounter, doubts arise whether the 25-year-old striker is capable of delivering for Mzansi in the World Cup.
The Burnley star has found himself on the receiving end of criticism after a disappointing show against Panama. Now, the national team coach has been asked to drop the striker and use the Mamelodi Sundowns striker. What now remains is to see whether Broos will stick with his striker or will consider the options that are available.
The Bafana centre-forward was one of the players who were highly criticised on online platforms after the Panama game. Some feel that he cannot be a reliable striker, and the coach must find a better alternative before the World Cup finals. If the Belgian is not satisfied with the star's performance, then he will have to look for more viable solutions.
The friendly games are part of South Africa's preparations for the upcoming World Cup finals. After a disappointing outing in the Africa Cup of Nations finals, Hugo Broos' men hope to have a far better campaign in the global showpiece to make the nation proud. Although some felt that their Friday opponent are a low-profile opponent for the National Team, the Central Americans claimed a draw in the first encounter.
The spotlight again is on the Belgian tactician since he named his final squad to take on Panama during the international break. The raging debate is who should have been called up and who should have been left out. The games lined up later this month are expected to give the 73-year-old a glimpse of how fit his players are before the World Cup finals.
Over the years, some high-profile strikers have come out of Mzansi, but recently, the upcoming ones have struggled to reach the standards set by their predecessors. As Hugo Broos looks forward to naming his World Cup squad, he should be scratching his head on whether the available centre-forwards will deliver. Before then, though, a retired striker has shared lessons for the current crop.
South Africa were booted out of the continental competition at the Round of 16 stage by the Indomitable Lions in Rabat. The exit meant they failed to at least replicate the outing at the previous edition in Ivory Coast. They now head home, hoping their showing in Morocco will not demoralise them ahead of June's 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In an attempt to ensure that South Africa remain in Morocco, the Belgian came up with what looked like a strange matchday plan, and also his team formation was not what he used to deploy. He made four changes to the squad that faced Cameroon and got eliminated. In the end, the strategy failed as Bafana saw their journey come to an end and the Indomitable Lions progressed to the last eight.
South Africa's coach firmly defended his tactical and squad choices by pointing out they had three 'open' chances to score in the first half hour of the Round of 16 clash with the Indomitable Lions but failure to capitalise on those chances meant his side was vulnerable to conceding and losing the match.
South Africa deployed a more defensive approach with the hope of winning the midfield battle, but in the end, Hugo Broos' gamble did not pay off, as his players were outfoxed. A journey that started with a controversial off-pitch issue between the coach and Mbekezeli Mbokazi has ended as crestfallen Mzansi head home earlier than in the last edition, where they reached the last four. Ironically, a team that Broos helped lift their last AFCON title has ended his dream of winning his second continental trophy.
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