What he believes are the reasons South African players are not always eager to play in Europe was expressed by a former Premier Soccer League coach.
Better pay has been identified by former Orlando Pirates coach Roger De Sa as a major deterrent for PSL players considering international careers.
Following the recent Africa Cup of Nations championship in Ivory Coast, it was widely expected that the lives of the majority of Bafana players would change significantly.
Still, not a single member of that Afcon team has moved from their South African teams to a European team thus far.
However, since the transfer window is scheduled to open this winter, the players still have options.
However, De Sa, the custodian for both Bidvest Wits and the former Moroka Swallows, asserted that financial constraints might prevent players from leaving teams like Mamelodi Sundowns.
Players like captain Ronwen Williams, Teboho Mokoena, Evidence Makgopa, and Khuliso Mudau, to mention a few, have drawn interest from some of the top five leagues in the globe after Bafana’s outstanding performance during the Afcon competition.
Under the leadership of custodian Williams, Bafana proved to be resilient and unwavering in their pursuit of the 34th Afcon title, surpassing all expectations and winning South Africa’s first continental medal since 2000.
Money is one of the reasons why so few players relocate to Europe. The majority of South African players garnered interest following the AFCON, De Sa told FARPost.
However, because they are paid so well, players don’t see the need to travel to Europe. You might as well stay at Sundowns if you play for them and end up signing with an English middle-table team.
“There are teams that pay like PSL teams, so it’s not true that playing in Europe entails a high salary,” he continued.
“I believe that moving to Europe also requires sacrifices, and occasionally I think that our players are not prepared for those sacrifices.”
The Bafana players will aim to demonstrate their continental football skills in the June World Cup Qualifiers matches.
For the time being, Broos’ army will face the Algerian Desert Foxes on Tuesday at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
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