Former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper coach Alex Heredia has commented on the inclusion of 33-year-old goalkeeper Sage Stephens in the squad for the AFCON qualifiers.
Next week, South Africa will face both Uganda and South Sudan in the final round of Group K qualifiers. Bafana needs only two points to secure a spot in the 2025 qualifiers.
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Heredia, who also works as a FIFA and CAF goalkeeper coaching instructor, believes that the Stellenbosch FC keeper deserves his opportunity with the national team.
"If you look at the pool of goalkeepers in the PSL, Stephens is performing quite well," Heredia told KickOff.
"The call came a little late in his career, as this is his first time being called up to the Bafana Bafana.
"In the PSL, he is performing admirably, partly because his team is solid defensively. This is a good opportunity for him, and if the coach, Hugo Broos, gives him a chance to play, it will be well deserved. Broos is looking for players who have been performing well recently," he added.
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"Overall, it's a good call-up. His situation is similar to that of Ricardo Goss at SuperSport United, who makes mistakes from time to time.
"However, Ronwen Williams is currently ahead of everyone else. In the national team, age is not the primary concern; what truly matters is recent performance.
"In the past six months, Stephens has played regularly, Goss has also been playing frequently, and Williams is considered one of the top ten goalkeepers in the world. Sipho Chaine has been doing quite well, as well. Broos likely has a pool of four or five goalkeepers to choose from. Ultimately, it comes down to Coach Hugo Broos's decision. Stephens is not a bad choice, he's been quite consistent."