Veteran tactician has shared the reasons behind the omission of the forward
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has revealed that the constant criticism that Percy Tau receives from fans and his uncertainty at Al Ahly are the reasons he dropped him from the squad.
Tau did not make Broos final 23-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan in September, raising eyebrows.
However, Broos has now cleared the air, saying he feels the forward is not mentally ready to don the Bafana Bafana jersey due to the abuse that is likely to come his way, yet again.
“There were two things that I took into account, first of all, Percy receives a lot of criticism at the moment when he plays for Bafana Bafana,” Broos said on SABC on Thursday.
“I tried to protect and support him for the game against Algeria, he was not there but then you see after the game against Nigeria, it was again the same thing.
Bafana Bafana fans expect too much from Tau
“They don’t like him at the moment and expect too much from him. I had contact with him and he said this is part of the game and I said yeah, it is part of the game but somebody who tells me it doesn’t affect him is lying.
“So, I know that it will affect you because you love your country, you want to play and you don’t have the feedback from the supporters.”
Broos then addressed the uncertainty surrounding Tau’s future at Al Ahly where he is reportedly being pushed out, one year before his deal expires, but the two parties are yet to agree on the financial terms of his contract termination.
“The situation in Al Ahly for the moment is not clear. There are a lot of rumours that he is going to leave and there is a problem with the transfer fee,” added Broos.
Is there a way back for the Lion of Judah?
“From the beginning of August, he played just 17 minutes and all the other games he was not even on the bench. The situation is not good and I was a little bit afraid with all that, that Percy for the moment is not ready. We need players who are ready not only physically but also mentally.
“Those two games of the qualifiers are very important; you cannot make a mistake now.”
Tau has been a subject of criticism in recent matches for Bafana Bafana and the latest was in June during the World Cup qualifier against Nigeria when he was slammed for not putting in a good display.
The admission from Broos will put his national team future in the spotlight as the veteran tactician might be forced to keep snubbing him as a way of protecting him from the online attacks.
South Africa will face Uganda at the Orlando Stadium on September 6 before taking on South Sudan in Juba four days later.
