Kaizer Chiefs playmaker Gaston Sirino has finally addressed the possibility of playing for Bafana Bafana on the international stage.
Sirino, a native of Uruguay in South America, has been eligible to play for Bafana Bafana since 2023, the year he received his South African ID and passport.
Since then, speculation has been rife that Hugo Broos will call him up to the national team.
However, Broos has resisted those calls, and suggested last year that Sirino’s age – 34 – was a stumbling block as he looks to introduce younger players in the national team.
“I know that Sirino is a very good player. I know also that he can be very important for Chiefs but he is not really the type of player I want. Secondly, he is also 34, I think,” Broos said last year.
“So, I have been looking for months to have somebody younger than Themba [Zwane] because he is old, so I don’t go there because I want to find younger than Sirino, even if he is a good player, but he doesn’t really match my ideas of football.”
Funnily, Broos’ sentiment was on Monday also shared by Sirino himself, who admitted that while it would be nice to wear the Bafana jersey, he didn’t think it will happen due to being on the wrong side of 34.
“Of course, everyone wants to play for a national team,” the Kaizer Chiefs star Sirino said, as quoted by KickOff, as his team prepare for this weekend’s Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates in Durban.
“So, I’m here now with a possibility of playing for Bafana Bafana.
“But the hard thing is that I’m not young and we have too many good players here, so that is the reality with regards to Bafana Bafana… I think Bafana Bafana are good now and they play very good and different, so that is good,” said Sirino.
IOL Sport
