Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos suggested with his appraisal of four foreign-based players not being in camp that “it’s a little problem, it’s not a big problem” that he sees an advantage in his team’s preparations compared with some of their rivals for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophy.
Broos said dark horses Bafana started training on their arrival in their camp at Pretoria University’s High Performance Centre on Monday with 12 players. This was partly because the nine Orlando Pirates players were given a few more days off after Bucs won the Carling Knockout final on Saturday.
With Fifa having moved the date for clubs to be enforced to release players from December 8-15, four foreign-based Bafana players will only join the squad next week, three of them on the national team’s arrival in Morocco on Wednesday. They are Club Brugges’ Shandre Campbell, defender Siyabonga Ngezana of FCSB in Romania, Burnley striker Lyle Foster and midfielder Sphephelo Sithole of CD Tondela in Portugal.
Bafana depart for North Africa for the tournament that starts on December 21 and where South Africa open their Group B campaign against Angola in Marrakesh on December 22.
The coach admitted the four overseas-based players’ late arrival presents some challenge to Bafana, but said he could not imagine the upheaval Fifa’s decision has wrought on some of the Afcon big guns whose squads are almost entirely made up of foreign-based players.
South Africa having most of their squad — made up predominantly of Premiership-based players — in camp early provides some margin of an advantage in Bafana’s preparations.
“We started the camp on Monday with 12 players because I gave the Pirates players a few days more off.
“In the beginning, Monday, December 8, was the release date for players but for some reason Fifa changed it to December 15. That means players based abroad cannot be with the national team before the 15th.
“And I’m wondering what countries like Morocco, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Mali, who have only overseas-based players, are going to do.
“They will have their players next week on the 15th and for Morocco, six days later, they play the opening game [against Comoros on December 21].
“That says again what Fifa thinks about Caf [the Confederation of African Football] and Africa. And I’m sure there was pressure from the European clubs to change that date.
“That’s the reason why Ngezana, Foster, Campbell and Sithole can’t be here before next week.”
Broos said it makes sense for three of those four to join the Bafana squad in Morocco from midweek.
“Foster is playing on Saturday so he could be here on Monday. With Campbell, Brugges are playing on Sunday so he would arrive on Tuesday.
“Sithole is playing on Saturday and would be here on Monday. But I don’t think you can ask those guys to travel and be here on Monday [or Tuesday] and then leave for Morocco on Wednesday.
“So I’m thinking about leaving those players [training] at their clubs and they will join us next week on Wednesday when we arrive in Morocco.
“For Ngezana it’s a bit different – they [FCSB] play on Monday so that means he can’t play [for his club] because it’s the day they have to release their players.
“So we will call Ngezana in the next days because tomorrow [Thursday] he’s playing a Europa League game against Feyenoord and maybe he can already travel on Friday and be with us on Saturday.
“So it’s a little problem, it’s not a big problem. And I’m happy to be coach of a country that has the majority of its players based locally. Because otherwise you can’t start the camp.
“I don’t think my colleagues in the other country’s will be so happy for the moment.”
After their opening game against Angola, Bafana meet Egypt in Agadir on December 26 and end Group B against Zimbabwe back in Marrakesh on December 29.
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