Cape Town – Orlando Pirates midfielder Patrick “Tito” Maswanganyi has opened up about missing out on Hugo Broos’ final Bafana Bafana squad for the AFCON tournament in Morocco.
Although initially named in the 54-man preliminary squad, he was cut from the final 25.
Maswanganyi admitted he expected the omission due to limited game time under new Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou and niggling injuries that disrupted his form, The Citizen reported.
“I already knew that I wasn’t going to make it to the AFCON squad because I wasn’t playing, I would get a few minutes to play. But I think when I was called up to the national team, I had problems with small injuries,” Maswanganyi said during an interview with Metro FM, according to the report.
“I think those kinds of things do affect your mind and your position in the national team, because we have a lot of players in the country who are working hard and are doing very well and deserve to be selected. For me, I did not even think about it, because I already knew that I wasn’t going to make it.”
The 27-year-old, once seen by Broos as a potential successor to Themba Zwane, said the lack of consistency made it difficult to compete with other in-form players.
While disappointed, he said he accepted the decision and is focused on working hard to reclaim his place in the Pirates starting line-up — believing that strong club performances will boost his chances of a future Bafana Bafana recall.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
