Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has a big decision to make in goalkeeping as the team will face Uganda in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and Doctor '16V' Khumalo has spoken about the likelihood regarding Friday's encounter.
Bafana will be without number one goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, owing to an injury which has also delayed his start to the season at Mamelodi Sundowns.
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In his 23-man squad, Broos opted for SuperSport United's Ricardo Goss, Veli Mothwa from AmaZulu FC and Orlando Pirates' Sipho Chaine as his three goalkeepers.
"The unfortunate part is that there is nothing we can do as you have also alluded to the fact that he (Williams) is injured. These are the things that we need to understand, and these are footballing problems. But his absence is going to have a serious impact, because in him you have a leader, captain, and someone who is very instrumental in terms of tactical awareness and everything you need from a player of his calibre on the field. He can save penalties, and he's very good when it comes to initiating build-up attacks, very good when it comes to transitional play, and there are just so many things that I can point out about him," said Khumalo, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"We can't take away from the fact that Goss and Mothwa are there and that they have been part of the set-up for quite some time. But the difference is that they have been playing second fiddle to Williams. Going to the kinds of games like these upcoming two, I am of the opinion that we will be able to deal with the situation. Chaine has raised his hand to say he wants to be part of the national team. It's been long overdue, and you must remember that he also sustained an injury at some point which kept him out of the game for quite some time. But ever since he has been back and with his involvement in the Pirates journey to the final of the MTN8, he has been very instrumental. From experience, I know that the coaches always select their teams based on performance while they also check if the selection is going to suite the system.
"In conclusion, there's a big point that I would like to make on this topic. Our league starts on September 14, and of the three goalkeepers that have been selected, Sipho is the only one that has been playing competitively, with Goss having played only one competitive game. Mothwa has got nothing, because he has been playing only friendly games. But I'm not saying he is not supposed to be there. In fact, Mothwa has got an advantage because he's been with the national team for quite some time. I'd like to believe that his influence in the absence of Ronwen Williams will be very important. What I like about Mothwa is that he doesn't come with a negative spirit even if he doesn't play. He is always positive and he is always encouraging those who are playing. We really need Mothwa when it comes to that part of contribution," concluded Khumalo.
Goss, Mothwa and Chaine's 2023/24 Season League numbers:
Goss: Played 25, conceded 24, 8 clean sheets
Mothwa: Played 23, conceded 21, 10 clean sheets
Chaine: Played 15, conceded 15, 6 clean sheets
In the next fixture, Bafana will face South Sudan on Tuesday in Juba.
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