Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is happy to see the level of the Premier Soccer League hitting greater heights after initial fitness concerns.
The tactician struggled to stamp his authority when he took over as the national team head coach in 2021. The 72-year-old Belgian tried to get his team and work harder to ensure there is consistency.
In his latest interview with the media, Broos concedes he did not expect to find players who are not fully committed to their careers.
‘If you don't live like a professional, you are finished'
Broos is currently happy with what he has seen, ‘We can see already a change in the PSL, [though] there are still games where you say ‘oh well [not good].
“But in the beginning there were games when I couldn’t believe my eyes at the level of the game and the players. We called them fat-ass players.
“You see them sometimes [nowadays], but you see them less. How can you play at a high level when you have an ass like that? You need to be an athlete. If you don’t live like a professional, you don’t train well and you don’t go to the gym, you are finished.”
Is Zwane ready for March action?
Bafana Bafana will be in action once the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers resume in March. Themba Zwane, who injured his Achilles in October, is back training and Broos has explained his chances in the next transfer window.
“I don’t think we can count on him in March. By June I think he will be sharp and ready. But [Patrick] Maswanganyi did very well in the last game. And we have (Relebohile) Mofokeng. He can also play in that position, so I am less worried than I was the moment Themba was injured.
“We can also count on Themba to come back. But we also have to think that he is 35. With an injury like that, I think it will be good, no problem, but we must hope he again finds his rhythm. It will be hard for one year.”
