Watch VideoHugo Broos urges more teams to challenge as Orlando Pirates-Mamelodi Sundowns rivalry boosts Bafana Bafana

ORLANDO Pirates, with stars like Tshepang Moremi and Evidence Makgopa, is expected to dominate along with Mamelodi Sundowns on player contributions to Bafana Bafana. The rivalry between Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership augurs well for Bafana Bafana, but coach Hugo Broos has encouraged other teams to step up, join the battle, and improve the depth of the national team. Broos is set to announce his final squad for the Fifa World Cup in June, and has already finalised about 70% of the group that will represent the country in North America.

Giventhe competitiveness of Pirates and Sundownsacross all competitions this season, the two clubs are expected to continue having the most representatives in the squad. During the recently concluded FIFA window – in which Bafana drew 1–1 with Panama in Durban before losing 2–1 to the Central Americans in Cape Town –Sundowns had seven players in the squad, just one fewer than Pirates. Speaking during the recent camp, Broos insisted that the rivalry between the two teams gives him a strong selection base, while he still has a wide pool of players waiting in the wings for opportunities.

“It’s not difficult (to select players), they are all there,” Broos said. “We have 23 players, and there’s still a list of 20 more players that we can monitor in the coming months, and even later.”