Themba Zwane at peace with Bafana Bafana omission

Themba Zwane of Mamelodi Sundowns during the Caf Champions League 2021/2022 match against Al Ahly SC on the 12 March 2022 at, FNB Stadium, Soweto. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Themba Zwane of Mamelodi Sundowns during the Caf Champions League 2021/2022 match against Al Ahly SC on the 12 March 2022 at, FNB Stadium, Soweto. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Published Mar 22, 2022

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Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns’ talisman Themba Zwane says he respects the decision of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who left him out of the squad that will play Guinea and France in international friendlies this month, albeit being on form.

After being roped in as the new Bafana coach last year, Broos emphasised that his strong focus will be on rebuilding the team. So much so that he prefers to work with young and hungry players, instead of the tried and tested veterans.

Despite his ambitions of trimming the average age, Broos selected players that were over 30, including the 32-year-old Thabang Monare for the back-to-back friendlies against Guinea and world champions France in Belgium and Lille.

But some members of the football fraternity were left in awe after Broos left out Zwane, 32, and his teammate Andile Jali, 31, who’ve been on form since this season as they have also helped Sundowns to a successful outing in the MTN8.

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Zwane and Jali have been a cornerstone for the Brazilians who are at the top of the league standings with 51 points, while they are in the quarterfinal of the Nedbank Cup and CAF Champions League after bagging 13 points in five matches.

Speaking on the side-lines of Sundowns’ MTN8 Goals for Charity initiative in Hammanskraal on Tuesday, Zwane said he respects the decision of Broos, while his primary focus is to help Downs claim the remaining three trophies this term.

“I am not disappointed at all. I am a professional player. What I can say is that I respect the coach’s decision. I support the guys all the way,” Zwane said. “I have not yet spoken to the coach. And I don’t have anything against him as well.”

With age not on his side, it remains to be seen whether Zwane will get to don the Bafana shirt again, given that Broos is expected to remain Bafana’s coach for the next four years. But he hasn’t despaired, saying he’ll focus his future at ‘Downs.

“As a player, I’ll keep on pushing, hoping that my chance will come. If not, I’ll still keep on pushing. There are things that I still want to achieve personally, with the team. So, I have to push myself and try to improve in every game,” he said.

Before the Fifa international break, ‘Downs were on a roll after bagging three straight wins in the Champions League, including back-to-back wins over champions Al Ahly away and home, before they beat Al Hilal 4-2 in Sudan on Saturday.

Although they are through to the quarter-final of the continental showpiece, Sundowns haven’t progressed past the semi-final since their triumph in 2016. And that’s why Zwane is optimistic that they can turn around their fortunes this term.

“As team we told ourselves that we wanted to push harder this season,” Zwane said. “We started well. But we know that the job is not yet done. We’ll keep the brotherhood intact among us as players and try to push for more this season.”

@Mihlalibaleka