Bucs’ state reflected by low numbers in Bafana
Moeti feels Pirates can get back to dominating national team selection
The dearth of Orlando Pirates players in the Bafana Bafana setup speaks volumes about the current state of affairs at the Soweto giants.
Goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands is the sole Buccaneers representative in the Bafana squad that has just converged in Polokwane.
Considering that Sandilands jumped on the Sea Robbers’ ship in the off-season, they could have easily had no player at the moment good enough for Bafana.
Pirates these days count themselves lucky if they have two players in the national team.
For the World Cup qualifying tie against Cape Verde a few months ago, defender Abbubaker Mobara was the only one representing the skull and bones.
The Sea Robbers had their worst season in the previous campaign with the team finishing 11th in the Premiership.
That horrendous run came on the back of finishing runners-up in both the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup.
Former Pirates and Bafana midfielder John Moeti says the team needs to get back to competing in CAF tournaments if they want an influence in the national side.
“A good number of Pirates players from the team that won the Champions League in 1995 played a huge role in Bafana,” Moeti told Sowetan.
“So it will boils down to that. We have seen a similar pattern with players from Sundowns now making up a significant contingent of the squad.”
Bafana take on Senegal in the 2018 Russia qualifiers at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday and away on November 14.
Sandilands could feature in the two games as there is uncertainty about the health of first-choice goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune after suffering an eye injury.
The former Sundowns and Platinum Stars stopper has not been in his best form after disappointing recent performances for Pirates.
Despite the Buccaneers’ slump, Moeti feels there are encouraging signs under coach Milutin Sredojevic.
“They play with better confidence. The only issues is their finishing and defensive stability. I think there is progress from what we saw last year.”