South Africa now has four high-profile players plying their trade in North Africa, with Khanyisa Mayo recently moving to Algeria, joining Percy Tau and Fagrie Lakay in Egypt, and Elias Mokwana in Tunisia.
This development has sparked discussions about the potential impact on the future of Bafana Bafana.
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Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana midfielder Bennett Mnguni, who has experience playing abroad, does not believe these moves will significantly benefit the national team.
Mnguni, who once played in Russia, argues that South African players should aim for Europe rather than North Africa to enhance their careers and the national team's competitiveness.
In an exclusive interview with Soccer Laduma, Mnguni emphasized the importance of competing in European leagues.
"It's good for our players to be moving outside South Africa and grow their careers. But I think they should be going more to Europe so that we improve our national team and compete against the countries which have most of their players in European leagues. So for me, I would say we better send our players to Europe than North Africa," Mnguni told the Siya crew.
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Mnguni further elaborated on the potential pathways for South African players to enter European football.
"We should aim at starting in leagues like Belgium, Russia or France and move to England, Spain or Italy. If we can send players to those leagues we will have a competitive national team. So that's why I think we should encourage more players to go to Europe than North Africa," Mnguni told Soccer Laduma.
This perspective highlights the importance of European exposure for South African players, suggesting that such moves could better prepare them for international competitions and elevate the overall standard of Bafana Bafana.
