Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he didn’t think twice about Ronwen Williams’ replacement after the No 1 was ruled out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers due to an injury.
Yesterday, Broos named the 23-man squad that will face Uganda next Friday at Orlando Stadium (6pm start) and South Sudan away (3pm) on September 10 in the Afcon qualifiers.
And while he stuck to his tried and tested personnel, Sipho Chaine, Thalente Mbatha, Rushwin Dortley and Fawaaz Basadien were the notable new faces.
For goalkeeper Chaine specifically, this was his first call-up to the national team despite having had stints at defunct Bloemfontein Celtic, Royal AM, Chippa United and now Orlando Pirates.
Chaine has been in fine form for the Sea Robbers since the start of the season, playing four matches across all competitions and keeping two clean sheets.
The 27-year-old arrives at Bafana with big shoes to fill, though. He’s replacing the No 1 and captain Williams, who’s been sidelined since the start of the season due to a shoulder injury.
Broos believes that Chaine will fit like a glove.
“We had him in the list already last year. But he was injured and not playing for Orlando Pirates,” recalled Broos, speaking at the SABC studios in Johannesburg.
“But now, Sipho is a good goalkeeper. And now that Ronwen is not there, we said, ‘Okay, let’s choose between him and (Bruce) Bvuma’.
“I think the choice was quickly made because he’s playing good and regularly for Orlando Pirates. He’s getting international experience in the preliminaries of the (CAF) Champions League as well.
“So yeah, he’s a good goalkeeper. So, now he’s the ideal replacement for Ronwen. Hence, he’s there.”
The form and growth of young goalkeepers such as Chaine augurs well for Broos, who insists that South African football clubs must invest in their own goalkeepers.
“It’s a little bit better than before, but there are a lot of foreign goalkeepers in the league. This is not good for African football,” Broos said.
“But we have good goalkeepers. We have Ronwen, Veli (Mothwa), Sipho now and Ricardo (Goss). There’s also Bvuma – for me, he’s a good keeper, but I don’t think he’ll get a chance at Chiefs.
“Goalkeepers are not really a problem. I think we have enough goalkeepers, and they are not too old either. That is not a problem.
“If you have a guy like Ronwen, who’ll not be there for the two games, it’s a bit of a problem because he’s not only a good goalkeeper, but a good captain.”
Chaine’s selection has set tongues wagging, with many speculating who’ll don the No 1 jersey among him, Mothwa and Goss against Uganda and South Sudan in the qualifiers.
“This is a decision that I will make in the next few days, and it will depend on several things. So, we’ll see,” replied Broos on the matter.
Pirates’ hectic schedule has also brought a silver lining as Broos got to watch three of their four games – against SuperSport United, Disciples FC (at home) and Cape Town City.
The silver-haired Belgian, as a result, was impressed by both Chaine and Mbatha, whom he regarded as one of the missing pieces in his puzzle.
“This is the type of player that we’ve been looking for in that position for a very long time,” Broos said of Mbatha.
“He’s tall and a typical defensive midfielder. He’s playing in his position, and he’s playing his game from left to right. He’s always there and available. He’s not running in front.
“What I saw from him until now, tactically, is impressive. I think now he is ready for a call-up to Bafana. It’s now up to him to show in training if he should play.”
Meanwhile, Percy Tau was the notable omission from the Bafana squad, with Broos explaining that the attacker is not in the right frame of mind and form at the moment, given his limited game time at Al Ahly.
Bafana Bafana Squad
Goalkeepers: Ricardo Goss, Veli Mothwa, Sipho Chaine
Defenders: Sydney Mobbie, Thapelo Morena, Rushwin Dortley, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Aubrey Modiba, Khuliso Mudau, Fawaaz Basadien, Siyabonga Ngezana, Grant Kekana.
Midfielders: Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Sphephelo Sithole, Thalente Mbatha
Forwards: Themba Zwane, Oswin Appollis, Patrick Maswanganyi, Iqraam Rayners, Lyle Foster, Relebohile Mofokeng