Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos hopes the planned meeting with Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Irvin Khoza can help to better cooperation between the South African Football Association (Safa) and the league.
Broos has been told by the Safa president Danny Jordaan that the meeting could take place before the end of this week.
The PSL and Safa are known to have a frosty relationship, and many have lamented how that has hampered the progress of South African football.
As the national team coach, Broos has made numerous complaints about the lack of cooperation between the two organisations and how it has made his job of leading Bafana a little bit unbearable at times.
The experienced Belgian tactician has been asking for a meeting with the PSL coaches for the past two years with no success. That’s one of the issues that Broos is aiming to discuss with Khoza.
The other matter topping the agenda is the release of local-based players for tournaments, such as the African Nations Championship (Chan), Cosafa Cup and others, that don’t fall under the Fifa international calendar.
SA has failed to qualify for the Chan since their last participation in 2014 mainly because PSL clubs refused to release players for qualifiers.
The clubs are not obliged to release players for any tournament that is played outside the Fifa international window, but Broos reckons with a little bit of cooperation, it can be done.
The coach said these tournaments can play a huge role in preparing players before they step up to his team.
“At the moment, when we want to see new players, we can only see them in Bafana Bafana because the clubs will not release them when we play for the Olympics qualifiers, they will not release them when we play for Chan,” Broos told media during the Bafana squad announcement for the upcoming Fifa Series.
“But I can’t always test the players with Bafana, because there we play qualifiers. You can’t take the risk there because you might not succeed.
“So, if they can be available to play on a lower level and showcase their skills there while they gain experience at the international level (that can be great).
“That’s what is important for all these players.
“And it will be easier for me to see how this one performed in the Olympics and Chan and decide if they are ready to step up to Bafana,” he said.
“But now I have to look at them in my team and I can do it in friendlies, but sorry I can’t do it in June (during the World Cup qualifiers).”
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos confirms that he is set to meet with PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza soon. pic.twitter.com/tEdAMYVPty
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) March 11, 2024
Despite the challenges, Broos was able to lead Bafana to the third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast last month.
“I hope that there will be a little bit of collaboration also from clubs and the PSL that they release the players for those games so that they can build a team for Bafana Bafana, but also for South African football,” Broos said.
“That will ensure that South Africa participates in Chan, Olympics, Afcon and the Fifa World Cup.
“Because you can see what’s happening now after we finished third at Afcon, suddenly everybody looks at South Africa differently.
“So, if you can be in all those tournaments, you will progress as a nation, and your football will progress, but we need a little bit of cooperation from everybody. You can’t do it on your own.”
Hugo Broos says he remains committed to coaching Bafana Bafana until 2026.
— Mahlatse Mphahlele (@BraMahlatse) March 11, 2024
Full press conference ➡️ ➡️https://t.co/mp4NATfLIL pic.twitter.com/8PRdChu8Pz
