Not long ago, it was impossible to think about a Bafana side without a heavy Kaizer Chiefs presence. Now, it’s difficult to see a single Amakhosi player manage to break into Pitso Mosimane’s starting lineup any time soon.
Naturena is in decline for many reasons, but even looking past their recruitment issues and managerial hiccups, their rising talent and established players simply need to raise their game.
The standards being set at Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns are a stark contrast, and Chiefs need to do something about it or the circumstances could be dire.
Bafana’s form a wake-up call for Chiefs
With Bafana firmly on the rise under Mosimane, the national team coach will soon need to see major improvements coming out of Naturena if Amakhosi players want to stay in the conversation.
The recent Bafana matches showed immense positives. Beating a quality Guinea side, putting minnows Eritrea to the sword and going more than toe-to-toe with a star-studded Egypt proved one thing, and that was that South African football is in a great space.
On the other hand, it’s no secret that Kaizer Chiefs isn’t in the best of spaces. The gap in match sharpness and tactical execution compared to their domestic rivals has become glaringly obvious.
In fact, the level of performance coming out of Sundowns and Pirates right now is frightening. There’s dynamic specialists in every single position on the pitch.
Take Yanela Mbuthuma, for instance. He faced immense pressure and took some time to find his feet at Pirates early in the season, but you can see he’s a well-coached player who now understands his role and how to benefit his team, and that’s translated right over to Bafana Bafana.
Lebohang Maboe was originally named in Mosimane’s squad for the recently concluded International window, however he was forced to withdraw through injury.
Even with Maboe though, he’s been in solid form however it’s difficult to see him replacing the likes of Teboho Mokoena, Bathusi Aubaas and Sphephelo Sithole.
Then there’s also Thalente Mbatha who’s recovering from injury and Brooklyn Poggenpoel is fresh off strong performances for Mosimane against Eritrea and Egypt. At the 2026 World Cup, no Kaizer Chiefs players made Hugo Broos’ final squad as well.
While it’s still early days in Pitso Mosimane’s tenure, the writing is already on the wall. If Chiefs want to see their players back in the Bafana mix, they need to match the high standards currently driving the national team forward, or risk getting left behind for good.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
