Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos has cleared the air on why Kaizer Chiefs captain Brandon Petersen was left out of the final 26-man World Cup squad. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has stated that his decision to exclude Brandon Petersen from the 26-member final squad for the Fifa World Cup 2026 was based solely on the goalkeeper's short integration time with the team, and not his goalkeeping ability.
Petersen was one of six players – alongside Brooklyn Pogenpoel, Patrick Maswanganyi, Thabiso Monyane, Thapelo Morena, and Leohang Maboe – dropped from the preliminary squad when Broos announced the final list at the Sefako Mokgatho Presidential Guesthouse on Wednesday night.
The omission of the Kaizer Chiefs No 1 and captain came as a shock to some in the football fraternity, particularly given his starring role in the team’s improved third-place finish in the Betway Premiership this past season.
However, Petersen faced stiff competition for the two deputy spots behind Bafana captain Ronwen Williams. Sipho Chaine had a breathtaking season with league winners Orlando Pirates, keeping a record-extending 21 clean sheets, while Ricardo Goss notably helped Siwelele avoid relegation with his heroics in goal.
Speaking post-squad announcement on Thursday morning at the Southern Sun Hotel in Sandton, where the team is currently based before jetting out to Pachuca, Mexico, on Sunday for the World Cup, Broos elaborated on why he didn’t select Petersen.
“I said to him there are three (fringe) goalkeepers: Goss, Chaine and you. And I have to choose only two goalkeepers,” Broos explained. “When you look at the qualities of those three guys, you can’t choose because they have the same qualities.
“So, on what level was I going to choose them?
"For me, it was integration. We had only one good training (with Petersen), and that was only on Tuesday. I don’t know what Brandon is like as a human being.
“In those three days, you don’t know how he’ll react if he doesn’t play and with the rest of the team. So that made me not select him. It was not a question of quality. It was just integration.”
Broos’ sentiments are justifiable. He had been working with Chaine and Goss for some time now as Williams’ backups, while Petersen missed a crucial integration opportunity after sustaining an injury when Broos was heavily considering him for the last camp in March.
Either Goss or Chaine will start in Bafana's final home friendly against Nicaragua at Orlando Amstel Arena on Friday (6pm) as Williams is still exhausting from Mameldodi Sundowns' CAF Champions League's triumph last Sunday.