Former Bafana Captain Mokoena Backs Hugo Broos Over 11-Defender Squad Call

Former Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena believes coach Hugo Broos would have had a conversation with the six players on standby before the squad announcement at the Union Buildings, and reiterated that the coach would have been wrong if he had not presented the said players with an individual choice to join the team for the announcement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Standby players - Was Broos wrong?

Last week, Bafana coach Hugo Broos announced a 32-player preliminary squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and the United States of America.

On Wednesday, Broos, alongside President Cyril Ramaphosa, announced the final 26-player squad, leaving six players from the preliminary squad as standbys.

All six players, including Kaizer Chiefs captain Brandon Petersen, were in attendance at the Union Building in Pretoria for the squad announcement.

This feat led many fans across the country to express mixed feelings, with some saying the coach was wrong not to send the six players home to spare them the hurt and embarrassment many assumed they would experience.

Some felt the coach was not in the wrong, as the six players are also part of the squad, even though they are not going to travel with the team for the tournament opener against co-hosts Mexico on June 11.

Ex-captain Mokoena says the coach would have been wrong if he had not broken the news to the players that they did not make the final, and also if he had not given them the option to go home or travel to Pretoria with the team for the announcement.

“I’m sure Hugo Broos had a one-on-one with them before going to the Union Buildings, and I'm sure that they had options,” Mokoena told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.

“They had a choice of, do you want to go to the Union Buildings and meet the president? I’m sure that they have had that conversation. If not, then that would be absolutely wrong.”

Mokoena reflected on Benni McCarthy’s omission from the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, saying the way that Carlos Perera handled it is a template that he believes Broos, as an experienced coach, would have followed in dealing with the six players on standby.

“Let me take you back to the 2010 World Cup, when Benni McCarthy was dropped by Carlos. He called Benni in the room, and he had a one-on-one with Benni before he announced it to the media, and he gave Benni the reasons why he would be doing this,” Mokoena said.

“So Benni is not surprised when he sees this in the media. I'm saying this because I was part of that meeting. We were three in the room, and that's when Carlos broke the news to Benni.

“What I'm saying is that Hugo Broos could have had this conversation with the players before they went to the media," he added.

Eleven Defenders?

Broos selected 11 defenders in his squad, with 15 other spots being made up by midfielders and forwards. Many frowned when they saw the nature of the squad, questioning whether it was necessary to take so many defenders.

Others questioned the message that the squad sends ahead of the showpiece event, saying that the nature of the squad sends a rather negative message about the confidence the coach has in his defence.

Mokoena, who also believes Themba Zwane will be a key asset for Bafana in North America, backed Broos' decision to take 11 defenders, citing that Bafana have been conceding goals and that the coach had every right to try and tighten up the defence as much as possible.

“We have been conceding goals. So, now you're sitting there as a coach, putting yourself in his shoes, we have been conceding goals, and we have not been scoring enough goals. Sometimes, to score goals, you give the defenders a breather. But now, if we don't score enough and then we concede a lot, one or two in this level of a World Cup, it's a lot." 

“So, he goes back, and he thinks, I'm not going defensively, but let me have enough defenders. Having 11, that doesn't mean that the approach is going to be 11 defenders in the starting lineup, but he wants to have enough options," he concluded.