Named captain a few months ago for Bafana Bafana's friendly matches, new Mamelodi Sundowns left back Fawaaz Basadien has fallen out of the reckoning for now and head coach Hugo Broos has had his say on the player's move to Chloorkop.
Basadien has had a difficult start to life at Sundowns, first playing in an unfamiliar role on the right side of defence, and then struggling to put on a good show at left in matches against Magesi FC and Kaizer Chiefs.
READ: Broos: I Never Saw A Defender Like This
The player, though, has shown his quality on numerous occasions previously and it's probably only a matter of time before he finds his feet again and returns to the national team.
For now, he will have to watch Bafana's FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria from the comfort of his couch and just hope to find the the type of form that will convince Broos to give him a recall. With the World Cup qualifiers coming, Broos has had a difficult time selecting his squad. Some of his national team regulars are either not playing, injured or just not in good form right now, so selecting the squad has not been the easiest task for him.
"One side, it's normal when you join a new team, with a different way of playing, so you have to adapt. I think that Fawaaz, for the moment, is looking for the best shape for himself. He misses a little bit confidence when I see him playing.
"I don't worry, but for the moment this is not Fawaaz that we saw last year at Stellenbosch and not Fawaaz we saw in the national team. It's not easy for me when you make selections. Fawaaz for the moment, no, we can't take him because those games are too important. We need guys who are in good shape and who are mentally ready."
Broos gave his thoughts on the start of the new PSL season, expressing concern over how the level has dropped from last season.
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"For the moment, the level is a little bit less than last year. There are several reasons. You take for example, Pirates. They have new players and that needs time. Sundowns, for the moment, Mudau is not playing. There is a disagreement between him and the team. Ribeiro there is a problem, so I think they are struggling a little bit with that. Chiefs are better than last year, but still not a level you expect from a top team. I think in a few weeks it will be better. I think the level has to be increased," Broos said.
"For me, what I saw till now, Sekhukhune plays the best football. They play good football, good rhythm, nice combinations. I think they are on a good way."
