Former Mamelodi Sundowns defender Phelelani Mpangase has urged the South African Football Association (SAFA) and Bafana coach Hugo Broos to start recognising more overseas based players.
SAFA defined and mapped out all our national teams’ futures in their Vision 2022 document over a decade ago. This was supposed to be the master plan to return Bafana to its former glories. Instead of progress, today we see our national team struggling and our junior national teams not even playing matches. So much for SAFA’s so called vision!
South Africa has many players who are based in Europe and with a host of those players coming from the KZN Academy. Most of these academy players are playing in Portugal. Mpangase believes that a lot of unrealized potential in terms of Bafana exists in these youngsters.
The former SuperSport United defender has pleaded with SAFA to bring more players playing at higher levels in Europe into Bafana contention. He believes they can cover up the obvious holes in the Bafana squad while also bringing out more from the locally based players, simply by playing alongside them.
“There are plenty of exceptionally talented South Africans players in overseas. There are lots of them in Portugal who were developed by the KZN Academy, ” Mpangase told ThisIsFootball.Africa.
“There is a superb player playing in Portugal, Nkanyiso Shinga, he plays a similar style to Tshepo Masilela. Coach Hugo Broos needs support and people who can help him scout these young players in Europe.
“I still believe that once we turn to play more of the players who play in Europe, Bafana Bafana will go somewhere. You still remember of Tshepo Masilela, Siboniso Gaxa, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Steven Pienaar, the class of 2010, our squad was very competitive because the majority of players were overseas based players.
“I believe those players who are abroad, if they can really get a chance, things will change because they play in more competitive leagues, they train under very professional conditions, we need them.”
