Bafana built at home: Benni McCarthy praises domestic talent ahead of Afcon
Bafana Bafana, with a squad made up largely of domestic players, have excelled on the international stage, and are now preparing to take on the world in the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup.
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
South African football icon Benni McCarthy praised the strength of the Betway Premiership after Hugo Broos named a Bafana Bafana squad made up largely of domestically-based players for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
The squad of 25 features only eight players – Siyabonga Ngezana, Samukele Kabini, Tylon Smith, Sphephelo Sithole, Lyle Foster, Elias Mokwana, Mohau Nkota, and Shandre Campbell – who play their football overseas.
Despite Broos favouring domestic players, Bafana returned with the bronze medal from the last Africa Cup of Nations and qualified with ease for the next continental showpiece, as well as next year’s World Cup in North America. For many of the games, they outplayed teams made up mostly of European-based players. It is a far cry from McCarthy’s days, when only a few Bafana stars played locally.
“I was playing in Spain at the time for Celta Vigo. We had Quinton Fortune, Shaun Bartlett, Mark Fish, Lucas Radebe, Aaron Mokoena, Sibusiso Zuma, and Siyabonga Nomvethe — all our players were playing in Italy, Spain, England, Germany, and Turkey for big teams,” McCarthy, now the head coach of the Kenya national team, said on Sporty TV about the last Bafana team to qualify for the World Cup.
“Now, all our players are based in South Africa, with just three or four playing abroad. It’s a very domestic national team, but I think it’s a very well-groomed team. There are big talents, many players unknown to the world, but they will be known because they are really good. South Africa has a very good young team, and I am excited about what they will bring,” said Bafana’s all-time record goalscorer.
He continued: “The thing that I’m most proud of is that they are one of the only countries with a complete national team built from local players who play in South Africa. That shows how much the South African league has progressed.”
McCarthy’s praise underlines a broader shift in South African football – one where the local league is a breeding ground for talent capable of competing on the continental and global stage.
With a squad built largely from homegrown players, Bafana Bafana is sending a message that the Betway Premiership can produce world-class stars, and fans can look forward to a new era where South Africa’s domestic game drives the national team’s success.
IOL Sport