Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos will be faced with another dilemma from the injury status of a Mamelodi Sundowns player ahead of his squad announcement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Sundowns midfielder Teboho Mokoena has been out injured since he seemingly pulled his hamstring in a 2-2 draw against Moroka Swallows, shortly after scoring from range in mid-April.
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He missed the CAF Champions League two-legged semi-final against Esperance, where Masandawana were knocked out 2-0 on aggregate, and has not featured since.
Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena, in his post-match interview, gave an update on the reigning Footballer of the Season's injury and admitted that although he is recovering well, he would probably not be risked in league matches ahead of the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates.
"He's coming on very nicely, it's just a matter of risking and maybe had we not qualified for the final he probably plays some of the games now, but you've got to weigh things up," Mokwena told reporters at Mpumalanga Stadium.
Broos will be faced with a dilemma ahead of his squad announcement for the World Cup qualifier matches against Nigeria and Zimbabwe on 7 and 11 June respectively.
If Mokoena does not feature for Sundowns up until the Nedbank Cup final, he could remain 'injured' in the interim and that creates a headache for the Belgian on whether to select him, as he would have to announce his squad before Saturday 1 June, with the FIFA week starting on Monday 3 June.
Broos had issues with the Brazilians last year about players deemed 'injured' for Bafana selection, only to feature for the club shortly after the squad is announced.
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Mokoena could therefore be excluded from the Bafana squad due to injury, but he could play for Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup final.
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