‘Swim with the sharks’: Mosimane tests Bafana’s new generation

Cairo – Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane is set to make wholesale changes against Egypt on Sunday as he uses the international friendly to assess a new generation of players.

South Africa head into the match at the Cairo International Stadium after opening their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with wins over Guinea and Eritrea.

According to IOL, Mosimane wants to use the Egypt clash to give fringe players, newcomers and returning players an opportunity to stake their claim in the national team.

He has urged supporters to be patient as the youngsters face one of Africa’s most established sides.

“We are pleading for patience and support for them,” Mosimane said.

The coach is expected to introduce players including goalkeepers Sipho Chaine and Ricardo Goss, as well as Fawaaz Basadien, Khulumani Ndamani, Shandre Campbell, Puso Dithejane, Tashreeq Matthews and Cassius Mailula.

TimesLIVE also reported that the team will largely comprise players who had limited or no involvement in the victories over Guinea and Eritrea.

Mosimane acknowledged the difficulty of exposing inexperienced players to Egypt but said the risk was necessary.

“The challenge is we have to let them swim with the sharks,” he said, according to TimesLIVE.

The coach said the friendly was particularly important because Bafana are unlikely to have another opportunity to test new players before next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.

“It is important to build for the next Fifa World Cup,” Mosimane said, adding that this was the chance to see what the youngsters could offer at international level.

SABC News reported that Mosimane has always intended to give every member of his extended squad an opportunity during the three-match international camp. Players such as Puso Dithejane, Yanela Mbuthuma, Cassius Mailula and Shandre Campbell are among those expected to get a run against Egypt.

The South African Football Association also confirmed that Mosimane plans to rotate the squad extensively for the friendly.

The match will therefore serve less as a test of Bafana’s first-choice side and more as an examination of the depth Mosimane hopes to build as he looks towards the next World Cup cycle.