Several players are in line to make their national team debut after receiving their first call-up to Hugo Broos’ squad, which excluded Mamelodi Sundowns players participating in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The 41-member squad is set to be reduced to 23 in the near future and will report for camp on Sunday, 1 June in Johannesburg before travelling to Polokwane to battle Tanzania.
The match will be played at Peter Mokaba Stadium on 6 June. The second opponents, as well as the dates of the game, are yet to be confirmed.
The squad is dominated by 12 new faces, including Kaizer Chiefs’ Mduduzi Shabalala, Orlando Pirates’ trio of Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Mohau Nkota, Simphiwe Selepe and Shandre Campbell of Belgian side Club Brugge.
Yusuf Maart, captain of Amakhosi, was also rewarded with a Bafana nod after leading his side to the Nedbank Cup triumph, which ended a decade-long trophy drought.
Broos was questioned in March for his decision to sideline Chiefs players for his upcoming matches against Lesotho and Benin for World Cup qualifiers, citing that he needed players who were fighting for titles.
“When the team plays better, the players get better. They (Chiefs) are really struggling and let’s hope for South African football next year they are again a big team and a big club that struggles and fights for the Championshi,” he said.
Bafana are currently enjoying a long-standing unbeaten run that has spanned over 16 matches. They are building up to the upcoming AFCON tournament to be held in Morocco in December.
