Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says protecting the mental well-being of Percy Tau is the reason he decided to omit him for the latest squad to face Andorra and Algeria in friendly matches in the upcoming FIFA break.
Broos says Tau was mentally broken upon returning with squad at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) where they secured bronze.
Tau scored one goal in the tournament and delivered several underwhelming performances as Bafana reached the semifinals.
The Al Ahly forward was hugely criticised for his performances, especially the penalty miss in the 2-0 defeat against Mali.
“I talked with Percy. Let’s say first of all, at the end of AFCON Percy was mentally broken, really broken. He had a lot of critics. It was not fair.
“It was not fair, but okay. You know social media can kill someone. So I saw him and I talked to him. And I said, ‘No, no, no problem, Percy’.
“But I knew there was a problem. So I called him two weeks later or one week later and we talked to each other. And I said to him, ‘Listen, I will not call you up for the friendly games’,” Broos said on SABC 1 as he announced his 23 man squad.
Broos says he assured Tau his place is not under threat after the forward had insisted to be part of the squad prior to the announcement.
Bafana Bafana squad for the FIFA Series
⤵️ pic.twitter.com/5akh4CyLF3— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) March 11, 2024
“He said, ‘No, no, I want to come.’ I said ‘No, you don’t come, stay there so that everything will be calm again. Because if you come with a friendly game, and you should play a bad game, it will start again’.
“So that’s the reason why Percy is not with us. I don’t want to kill him. It was enough, after AFCON. So he will be ready again in June. And I will see a fresh Percy Tau,” Broos added.
