Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos' decision to put faith in the majority of Mamelodi Sundowns players could change the narrative from outside, about South African football, as the world remains stunned by one of AFCON's surprise packages.
When jotting down 2023 Africa Cup of Nations teams to look out for, South Africa would not have featured in soccer publications across the globe, as most of the players are locally-based.
Even for nations considered minnows such as Equatorial Guinea and Cape Verde for example, they have the majority of the players plying their trade in Europe.
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And so according to the rationale that a national team can only be competent when it has players playing in big European leagues, Bafana should have been the whipping boys at the current AFCON but have not only defied the odds but are changing the narrative about the standard of the PSL, particularly the level Sundowns is playing at.
Bafana Bafana legend Lucas Radebe has broken down the enigma of South Africa's strong showing so far at the continental tournament and says although Broos was criticized for selecting mostly Sundowns players, he saw the vision of what he was trying to achieve.
"Was the win (against Morocco) expected? I don't think so. I'd say those of us watching were 50-50 and before the tournament started, I wouldn't say there was much confidence in how South Africa were going to do," Radebe told UK and American publication The Athletic.
"This South Africa squad is interesting and unusual. If you look through it, you will see that so many of the players in it play for South African clubs — Mamelodi Sundowns in particular. Eight of the line-up on Tuesday were players from the Sundowns. The coach, Hugo Broos, was criticized for this a lot.
"But for me, I understood what he was trying to do, what the bigger plan was. It was a reason why I felt quite hopeful at this tournament — because so many of the squad know each other from their club. Sundowns are a strong team, who have won the African Champions League (African Football League). The domestic league here is much stronger than a lot of leagues in Africa and players here get paid enough, which means they don't have to automatically think about moving away," he explained.
Egypt dominated the AFCON during eras of Al Ahly dominance in continental club football and most of their players were locally-based.
What Bafana are doing with mostly Sundowns players is a reality check of how important club continental football is and that national team players, mostly, coming from the same club that is successful in African club tournaments is an advantage and it's not favouritism.
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