Bafana Bafana's Hugo Broos highlights PSL growth, reflects on early shock at player fitness

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has lauded the significant improvement in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) since his arrival in South Africa in 2021 to take charge of the national team.

The PSL is one of the best leagues on the continent and currently has two teams, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, who have reached the CAF Champions League quarter-finals this year.

Stellenbosh FC have also managed to reach the quarter-finals of the Caf Confederation Cup after finishing second in their group behind Morrocan outfit RS Berkane.

The Belgian also successfully guided Bafana to a third-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast last year, with a squad predominantly comprising players from the PSL.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos shares his thoughts after the confirmation of the 2025 AFCON draw on Monday night.

Bafana Bafana have been drawn in Group B and they will face:

🇪🇬 Egypt
🇦🇴 Angola
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe #BafanaPride pic.twitter.com/yw1t8HUCek

In an interview with journalists at Safa House on Thursday, Broos said that upon his initial arrival in the country, he was shocked by the standard of some matches and players.

“We can see already a change in the PSL,” Broos said according to The Citizen.

“There are still games where you say ‘Oh well (this isn’t good). But in the beginning, there were games when I couldn’t believe my eyes at the level of the game and the players. We called them fat-ass players.

“You see them sometimes (now), but you see them less. How can you play at a high level when you have an ass like that? You need to be an athlete. If you don’t live like a professional, you don’t train well and you don’t go to gym, you are finished.”

IOL Sport