Hugo Broos: Why Bafana Bafana Coach Is Not Wrong to Play Mamelodi Sundowns vs Panama

• Hugo Broos has been backed after he was being called out for playing many Mamelodi Sundowns players against Panama
• The Bafana Bafana head coach included six Mamelodi Sundowns stars in his starting line-up against the North American country
• A sports journalist in an exclusive interview with Briefly News threw his weight behind the Belgian tactician over using Sundowns players

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has been called out by some set of fans for fielding lots of Mamelodi Sundowns players during South Africa's first leg clash against Panama at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday, 2026.

The Belgian tactician opted to start six Mamelodi Sundowns stars in the first leg amid speculations about the players being overused, as they are still in the CAF Champions League.

The Brazilians qualified for the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League after defeating Stade Malien in the quarter-finals. They would face Esperance in the semis.

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Broos backed for playing Sundowns players

Sports journalist Themba Modise, in a chat with Briefly News, shared his thoughts on Broos being told not to use plenty of Sundowns players in the second leg.

"I don't think anyone can tell Broos what he should do with the team he invited himself," he said.

"The World Cup is coming, we must put our best legs out and find an ultimate team that would perform well in North America later this year.

"Even the Mamelodi Sundowns players in camp want to convince Broos with their performance during this international break, as it's one of their chances of proving to the manager that they deserve a place in the final squad going to represent South Africa at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

"Also, if there was no international break, they would've been playing a league fixture, and it's good that they didn't travel."

Why so many Sundowns players in Bafana

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Bafana Bafana have so many Mamelodi Sundowns players in their squad, and Modise explained why it is so at this point of the season.

"It is obvious that major players in the Bafana Bafana squad in recent years are from Mamelodi Sundowns as their performance has been good," he added.

"Themba Zwane is back in the squad, and you will agree with me that he still has a place in the squad. Broos has struggled to find a perfect replacement for him in the team since Zwane's recurring injury, which also led to him missing the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Even Jayden Adams is back in the team after a consistent performance. It's a deserved call-up for the former Stellenbosch FC midfielder."

Broos slams CAF after stripping Senegal

Briefly News also reported that Broos weighed in on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to strip Senegal of the AFCON 2025 title after 58 days.

The African football governing body crowned the Atlas Lions of Morocco as the winners of the competition despite losing in the final against Senegal.

Source: Briefly News