'small Club' Stars Making Bafana Sparkle Under Hugo Broos

COLUMN: Ruck Maul

From no-hopers and the butt of jokes in Mzansi to potential qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup, it has been a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Bafana Bafana under coach Hugo Broos.

And the exciting journey continues over the next week, as South Africa face Lesotho on Friday and Benin next Tuesday in two vital World Cup qualifiers.

While the wily old mentor Broos has been praised for being a straight-talker often standing up to club bosses and even Safa officials when things are not what they are supposed to be for Bafana one major factor that stands out for me is his team selections.

Unlike some of his predecessors, the 72-year-old Belgian doesnt subscribe to the big-club mentality when he picks his squads.