Johannesburg – Former Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says the rise of Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates has made Hugo Broos’ job as national team coach easier, as Bafana’s playing style now mirrors those clubs.
He believes Kaizer Chiefs will soon contribute more players as they improve.
“You can see that Pirates are doing well, and their players are in Bafana and Sundowns always help with players in Bafana [as well] and the style of play in Bafana is exactly the same [as] what you see in Pirates and Sundowns,” Mosimane said during an interview with Sowetan.
WATCH | Former Bafana and Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says the dominance of Sundowns and Pirates has made Hugo Broos’ job easier — and believes Chiefs will soon follow by contributing more players to the national team. @Sihle_NdebeleSK pic.twitter.com/5OwRZExtgG
— Sowetan (@Sowetan1981) November 27, 2025
He was speaking on the sidelines of La Liga Africa’s 10th anniversary at MultiChoice City in Randburg on Wednesday.
“It [the Sundowns and Pirates style of play] benefits the national team; the [Bafana] coach [Hugo Broos] doesn’t have to do much because the style is embedded there. I think Chiefs will follow very soon. The coach [Broos] is good… he’s really done exceptionally well.”
Mosimane praised the overall resurgence of South African football across all levels — from youth teams to women’s football — but said the country has produced strong generations before.
His concern is whether this current momentum can be maintained, warning that “it’s cold at the top” and consistency is the real challenge.
Recent squad listings for Bafana show a heavy lean toward Pirates and Sundowns players, with far fewer from Chiefs.
For instance, in a 2025 preliminary squad for AFCON, Chiefs contributed only four players, compared to many more from Pirates and Sundowns.
According to Broos himself, poor performance by Chiefs in the league has been a key reason for their minimal representation in Bafana.
He said that although they won a domestic cup, their overall season was disappointing — making it difficult for him to justify selecting more Chiefs players reported IOL.
“For me, for the moment I can’t select players of Kaizer Chiefs,” the report quoted Broos as saying five months ago.
“And I hope that they make a better season next year. Ok, they’ve won the Cup, but I think that was the only highlight in Chiefs’ season. All the rest was not so good… the supporters are very happy because they won the Cup, but we have to be honest and I don’t have anything against Chiefs, but I have to be honest in my choices.
“And most of the time it was not good with Chiefs. Otherwise a team like Chiefs is not number nine in the log, they are number three, number two or number one.”
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Picture: Facebook/Pitso Mosimane
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
