Broos Explains the Absences of Tau, Pirates Star From Bafana Latest Squad

• Hugo Broos has cleared the air on the reason behind Percy Tau's absence from the Bafana Bafana team for AFCON qualifiers
• The South African national team are favourites to qualify from Group K which includes Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda
• The Belgian mentor also explained why he didn't include an Orlando Pirates forward in his 23-man team

Belgian manager Hugo Broos has explained why he left out Percy Tau and an Orlando Pirates star from his Bafana Bafana 23-man squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Bafana Bafana will face Uganda and South Sudan in the qualifiers, and a place in the next AFCON is up for grabs.

Broos' men will host the Cranes at the Orlando Stadium on Friday, September 6, before travelling to South Sudan to face the Bright Stars four days later.

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Broos on Tau, Saleng's absence from Bafana's latest squad

According to GOAL, Broos told reporters why Tau was missing from his squad despite being one of the best players on the South African national team.

The Belgian manager confirmed that it wasn't an easy decision to leave the former Mamelodi Sundowns star out of his squad, but recent criticism from fans on the player helped him make the decision.

"With Percy Tau, it was not an easy decision for me not to select him," the former Cameroon national team coach said.

"But there were two things that I took into account. First of all, Percy has been receiving a lot of criticism when he plays for Bafana Bafana. I try to protect and support him. He was not there in the game against Algeria. But then you saw that it was the same thing after the game against Algeria."

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The Bafana Bafana coach also touched on Tau's contract situation with Al Ahly and his recent issues with Marcel Koller, which led to his reduced playing time under the Swiss manager.

"Secondly, the circumstances at Al Ahly are not clear. There are a lot of stories that he is going to leave, and he has an issue with the transfer fee and doesn't play anymore," the Belgian tactician added.

"Since the start of August, he has only played 17 minutes. The position was not good, and I feared that Percy was not ready. We need players who are ready, not only physically but mentally."

According to SNL24, Broos shared the reason why he decided not to include Orlando Pirates forward Monnapule Saleng in his squad, which surprised many.

"Saleng had a very irregular season last year. He promised a lot the year before, but now, he disappointed [me] slightly.

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"I just want to see Saleng going back to his old shape two years ago when he scored goals and was assisting for the Buccaneers."

New faces in Broos’ Bafana preliminary squad

Briefly News earlier listed the six new players who earned a call-up to the Bafana Bafana team for the first time.

Broos released a 38-man preliminary squad for the two qualifiers, and he's expected to cut the list to about 23 players days before the matches.

Source: Briefly News