Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has defended his decision to include Thabang Matuludi in his final squad despite the defender having only recently made his first competitive appearance of the season.
The 27-year-old was named in Mosimane’s 30-man squad for the upcoming international window despite not having played a competitive match before joining up with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Matuludi made his debut for Sundowns in Saturday’s African-Asian-Pacific Cup clash against Al Ahli, playing a role in the 1-0 victory and providing the assist for the winning goal.
Mosimane, however, insists Matuludi’s selection was not based solely on his latest performance.
The Bafana coach revealed that he had been monitoring the defender throughout pre-season and was aware of his preparation despite his lack of competitive minutes.
“We’ve done our research, I’ve watched him, I know he’s been training the entire pre-season, he played a few friendly games in the preseason,” he said.
Mosimane also stressed that selection is based on what happens beyond competitive matches, with training performances also forming part of his assessment.
“We don’t get involved in club things and we respect clubs but a national team player is a national team player. This is also to show players that if they train and do things well, we’re watching. We knew what was happening but we don’t just pick Matuludi arrogantly because we want to pick Matuludi.”
The coach also revealed that his interest in Matuludi stretches back further than his return to the Bafana job.
“I’ve been following Matuludi all the way, ever since I’ve been given the opportunity to be Bafana coach and long before I signed the contract.”
Matuludi’s inclusion could give Mosimane another option at right-back as he prepares Bafana for their upcoming international fixtures with regular Khuliso Mudau out for a long time.
South Africa face Guinea in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Orlando Stadium on September 26 before travelling to Egypt to face Eritrea four days later.
Bafana will then face Egypt in a friendly on October 4, giving Mosimane three matches to assess his squad and introduce his ideas.
For Matuludi, the timing of his Sundowns debut could hardly have been better, having provided an immediate contribution before reporting for national-team duty.
