Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana have suffered a massive blow after Themba Zwane attained serious injury against Congo Brazzaville in the AFCON qualifier.
‘Mshishi’ had played just less than 40 minutes when he was stretched off and replaced by Orlando Pirates’ Patrick Maswanganyi.
Speaking after the match, Broos said one of the factors behind their poor performance on the day was because of losing an influential player like Zwane in the first half.
He revealed that Zwane picked up an Achilles tendon injury, expressed concern that the Thembisa-born star would be out for several months.
BROOS ON ZWANE – ‘I’M AFRAID HE’LL BE OUT FOR MONTHS’
“Themba Zwane is a very important player for us,” said Broos after the match.
“So, it was not a good thing for us that Themba had to go out with an injury. It’s a big injury, it’s Achilles [tendon].
“I’m afraid, he will be out for months. So, again when you lose such an important player, it’s difficult certainly in a game where you are dominated.
“That’s because Themba is someone who can keep the ball, who can give the last pass, so he was not there and maybe that was the reason why we didn’t play so well today.”
Bafana will have to do without Zwane in the two remaining AFCON qualifying matches. They face Uganda on 11 November and South Sudan eight days later.
This could see Maswanganyi being a regular starter for now, with Broos having also tipped him as Zwane’s future replacement.
Meanwhile, the Brazilians, who seem to be in a bit of revamping process under the new leadership of Manqoba Mngqithi, will also miss the services of their captain for some time.