Former Orlando Pirates coach Roger de Sa believes South Africa’s Africa
Cup of Nations elimination stems from a crucial deficiency in converting
chances, a weakness he attributes to the domestic league’s standard.
Reflecting on Bafana Bafana’s 2-1 Round of 16 loss to Cameroon, De Sa told
PSLSA that while the performance wasn’t poor, the team was punished for a
lack of ruthlessness.
“Everybody is disappointed in the result but I don’t think the performance
was bad… Cameroon is a very good team,” De Sa said. “They are used to a
high level of football where if you get two chances you score them both.
That’s where the Bafana squad is lacking—the PSL mentality, where you score
one in five and it’s good enough.”
Despite the exit, the former Bidvest Wits coach sees a foundation to build
on under Hugo Broos ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. “Broos has
laid the foundations well… I certainly hope now he’s getting ready for the
World Cup, using the next windows to prepare.”
Looking ahead to the global stage, De Sa anticipates a tougher challenge and
predicts squad evolution. “Playing Mexico in Mexico is a different monster
altogether. I would expect four, five changes… Possibly another striker
added. We lacked a bit of physicality. I expect changes—it won’t be the
exact same squad.”
De Sa concluded that while the AFCON campaign ended in disappointment, the
overall showing was “nothing to be ashamed of,” urging strategic refinement
before the World Cup qualifiers resume in June.
