Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says he is struggling to understand the rationale behind the reduced playing time of Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau at Mamelodi Sundowns, and has gone on to issue a warning.
Bafana battle Congo in a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier clash in Gqeberha on 11 October, before travelling for the return fixture to be played away on 15 October.
In his final 23-man squad, Broos went the tried-and-tested route with only Orlando Pirates' Thabiso Sesane being the new face.
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There were question marks over the inclusion of the likes of Mokoena, Nkosinathi Sibisi and Mudau – who have all rarely featured for their respective club this season.
Although Broos chose to keep the faith in his trusted senior players, he expressed concern over the drastically reduced playing time of Mokoena and Mudau at Sundowns under new head coach Manqoba Mngqithi.
The duo have been surprise absentees in recent matches, raising suspicions of a rift between the players and the coach – suggestions that Mngqithi has dismissed.
Mudau played his first league match when he came on as a substitute in a 2-1 win over Kaizer Chiefs, while Mokoena is yet to play a league game for the side so far.
"Yes, that's a problem, huh? That's a problem," Broos said on SABC Sport, where he announced his final squad on Thursday.
"I don't think it will be a problem now, but if the situation keeps going on, then we have a problem with Teboho and we have a problem with Khuliso.
"On the other side, I have to respect the decisions of the coach there [at Sundowns]. Okay, he will have his reasons.
"But from my side, it's difficult to understand why a player like Teboho, why a player like Khuliso is not playing. They were some of the best players at AFCON. They had fantastic games for the national team and suddenly, for one or another reason, they are suddenly no longer good enough to play? That is difficult for me to accept.
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"But okay, that is the decision of the coach at Sundowns and we will see what happens in the next week.
"But again, if that situation stays, I have to review my opinion about Teboho and about Khuliso. Not that they are not good enough but because they are not playing," explained the Belgian.
Bafana's match at the Nelson Mandela Stadium is at 18:00.