Myeni Shares Emotional Reaction To Bafana W…

Hugo Broos during a Bafana Bafana press conference in Sandton

Former Bafana Bafana international Sifiso Myeni has questioned the manner in which SAFA handled the announcement of the final 26-man FIFA World Cup squad, saying the process could have a damaging emotional effect on players who narrowly missed out.

Bafana recently held a World Cup send-off event with all 32 preliminary squad members present before six players were eventually cut from the final squad.

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Speaking exclusively to the Siya crew, Myeni admitted he felt sorry for the players who were left out after being part of the celebrations and activities with the rest of the squad earlier in the day.

“It’s very sad,” Myeni told the Siya crew.

“I even posted on my status about it because I felt sorry and sad for the guys who did not make it. Obviously, I’m happy for the players who made the squad, but the way it happened was not nice.”

The former Orlando Pirates winger revealed that the situation reminded him of his own heartbreak when he failed to make a previous AFCON squad during his playing days.

“I remember me not making the AFCON squad. It happened to me before, but imagine how I felt because the squad was announced on TV while I was alone at home,” he explained.

“I felt very sad that day, but imagine for someone who is in the room, fully kitted like everyone else, feeling part of the group, only to suddenly realise your name is not there.”

Myeni believes SAFA could have handled the situation differently and suggested that players who were not going to make the final squad should have been informed privately beforehand.

“In our days with the national team, you would know before who was selected and who was not selected. They would let you know early,” he said.

“If you are not selected, you are not supposed to go there because imagine the whole 32 players going to the event together and then later some players are cut.”

Myeni added that situations like these can even create bitterness among players if not managed properly.

“You can even start asking yourself why another player made it and you didn’t,” he added.

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“That’s why I feel SAFA should have handled it better. They should have informed the players who were not making the squad earlier so that they could stay home instead of going through all of that publicly.”

Broos named his final 26-man selection at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria on Wednesday.

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