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Revealed: Why Al Ahly star Percy Tau was excluded from Bafana Bafana squad to face Algeria and Andorra

Tau was a notable absentee when Broos announced his 32-man preliminary squad on Thursday, March 7. South Africa's national team is set to go toe to toe against Andorra and Algeria, respectively, in international friendlies later this month, with Broos trying to prepare a strong team ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in June this year. Despite the former Brighton &amp; Hove Albion player recently having <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-za/lists/percy-tau-bafana-bafana-star-lifts-another-trophy-with-al-ahly-as-african-champions-edge-zamalek-in-egyptian-cup-final/blt44cf4d101a694751" target="_blank">won a cup with Al Ahly</a>, Broos did not see it important to bring him to the camp for the friendly games.Speaking during his announcement of the 23-man final squad, the Belgian coach provided a reason why the lefty was left out.

WHAT HAPPENED

The Al Ahly forward was part of Broos' Afcon team in Ivory Coast early this year. Sadly, after missing a penalty against Mali in the opening match, the 29-year-old star found himself under pressure and booed by fans. And with what looked like a poor performance in the whole showpiece, he received lots of criticism from many SA supporters.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

“I spoke with Percy. First of all at the end of AFCON Percy was mentally broken, really broken,” <a href="https://farpost.co.za/2024/03/11/hugo-broos-explains-percy-taus-exclusion/" target="_blank">said Broos</a>.“A lot of criticism was not fair, it was not fair. But okay, you know social media can kill somebody. So I spoke to him and said no problem because I knew there was a problem.“So, I called him two weeks later, and I said to him, listen, I will not call you up for the friendly games. He said, ‘No, I want to come,’ and I said no, you must not come. Stay there until everything is calm again," he continued.''Because if you come in a friendly game and you have a bad game, it will start again. So that’s the reason why Percy is not with us. I don’t want them to kill him, it was enough after AFCON, so he will be ready again in June and I will see a fresh Percy Tau."

WHAT HUGO BROOS SAID

According to Broos, Tau will surely return to the Bafana squad for the World Cup qualifiers matches in June.The Lion of Judah will miss the two games as Bafana lock horns with Andorra on March 21, before they take on Algeria five days later.

WHAT'S NEXT

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  Hugo Broos reveals why Percy Tau has not been included in Bafana Bafana squad for the upcoming friendly games.

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