‘Lorch, no, he can’t help us. Finished, done’ – Broos on Thembinkosi snub

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos insists no amount of intimidation could make him change his mind about including in his squad players who can’t give what he needs.

The Belgian is currently preparing South Africa for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations to be played in Morocco from December 21 to January 18. The 73-year-old argues that some players, like Thembinkosi Lorch, have been struggling for a long time, and the current form doesn’t guarantee him a spot in the team.

Broos has further questioned the media’s role in trying to force certain players into his plans.

Lorch struggled at Sundowns and Pirates!

“I read also the propositions of the media to take players with the group and I was laughing. I was really laughing, because this shows again some people of the media are not judging a player on his qualities, but just because he’s a friend of them, or maybe they have advantage to write that in the paper,” Broos told the media.

“Okay, we will talk about someone, so the last three months there is only one name that always came back Lorch, Lorch, Lorch. Did everyone see the performance of Lorch of the last two years, nobody.

“He played in [Orlando] Pirates. He was out of the team, they kicked him out. He was happy that Rulani [Mokoena] was in [Mamelodi] Sundowns. He came in Sundowns he played a few games, finished. They kicked him out also.

“He went to Morocco, first year… Now, suddenly, the last three months, he played good. Don’t you think that we don’t know that?” he continued.

The pressure doesn’t affect me at all

“But I don’t look at the player like ‘oh yeah, I like Lorch’. No, and look what is his quality, offensively, defensively, can he help the team? When I evaluate that player, I have to say, ‘no, he can’t help us. Finished, done’,” Broos added.

“Then some people can be angry, and some people can call me stubborn, whatever. They do what they want. I just decide and that’s all. And the boys I decide or the boys I call up, those are the boys I believe in and they know it. I will never take somebody who I think he will not help us.

“So you can write what you want and say what you want, that’s your business, that’s your job also. So I understand that a little bit.

“It’s nice, okay, but it doesn’t affect me at all and I think the media has to know it after four years. So just go and just propose and think that I made the bad choices and so on. It’s your job. Okay,” he concluded.