Hugo Broos selected five Orlando Pirates players in his Bafana Bafana squad which will take on Uganda and South Sudan in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is pleased to see a significant number of players coming from his team as Sipho Chaine, Relebohile Mofokeng, Patrick Maswanganyi, Thalente Mbatha, and Nkosinathi Sibisi have all been called up by Broos.
The Buccaneers are fresh from a 2-0 win over Cape Town City in the MTN8 second-leg semi-final, as they reached a fifth cup final under Riveiro’s guidance. The Bucs mentor hopes his players winning mentality will rub off on the rest of the team, which has seven Mamelodi Sundowns players.
“Everybody likes to feel like a winner and feel stronger. You are more confident when you win and you are more happy,” said Riveiro.
“All of those things create good energy, I am sure they are gonna come with good energy and hopefully transfer that to the rest of the people involved. I hope they can have a good FIFA week and come back healthy because that is all we want,” he added.
One player who has been doing well at Bucs but was unlucky to not get the nod is Tshegofatso Mabasa. The red-hot striker is already off the mark but that is not enough to entice Broos.
Mabasa is not the only player who has a good shout for a Bafana call up, as defender Thabiso Sesane, has been rock solid every time he is given a chance with the Bucs.
Sesane started and finished three-back-to-back games so far this season, and while Riveiro is optimistic about the 24-year-old’s future with the national team – he is careful to not overhype the budding star.
“He is playing, and that’s the big change. He is playing regularly. If it was someone else who was playing, we were going to change the name.
“The key is always being on the field constantly and that means you are doing well during the week, you are in a good shape and when the competition comes, you are at the level that Orlando Pirates needs.
“That’s the case. As much as you play and win, keep clean sheets – the confidence grows. Sesane is surrounded by excellent football players. In the end, we try to be a team that makes everybody look good. The key is in the collective because if we take it as individuals, we are… I’m not going say it.
“But I’m sure you understand what I am trying to say. I am happy with all the individual performances at the moment. Some players have been shining more than others but the most important thing is that the team is performing well”, Riveiro concluded.
Bafana Bafana squad for their 2 upcoming AFCON qualifier matches against
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) August 29, 2024
🇺🇬 6 September 2024 at Orlando Stadium at 18h00
🇸🇸10 September 2024 (away) at 15h00 @SAFA_net @10bet_ZA @flysaa @CastleLagerSA pic.twitter.com/GWka4BwHYF
