Manqoba Mngqithi warns Mamelodi Sundowns’ foreign focus is hurting Bafana Bafana pipeline

Golden Arrows head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has voiced concern over Mamelodi Sundowns’ increasing preference for foreign signings, warning that the club’s shifting recruitment profile is already affecting the national team’s talent pipeline.

Mngqithi, who spent more than a decade at Chloorkop in various roles, says Sundowns once carried a clear mandate to feed South Africa’s national teams with top-level players — a reality he believes is fading as the Brazilians load up on overseas talent. With Orlando Pirates now forming the bulk of Hugo Broos’ recent Bafana Bafana squads, Mngqithi argues the numbers reflect how club recruitment directly impacts the national setup.

“I think the time I was there, it was one of the mandates from the boss — he wanted Sundowns to be able to help national teams, from youth national teams to the senior national team,” said Mngqithi.

He insists his observations are not an attack on Sundowns’ policy. Instead, he acknowledges that clubs evolve and pursue different targets, especially when they lose high-impact players or deal with widespread injuries — issues that have heavily shaped Sundowns’ season.

“Sundowns always had good presentation, but I think of late they have not recruited much in terms of South African players, maybe because they are focusing specifically on decisive positions.

“You know, when you lose a player like Lucas [Ribeiro], you want to try and say: can you get two, three or more players who can plug that gap and who are maybe at that level.”

Mngqithi believes the club has done well in strengthening the squad, but stresses that most of that reinforcement has come from outside the country. He referenced the arrivals of Reisinho and Nuno Santos as examples of top-tier international signings who will inevitably influence squad balance and competition for local players.

“And other teams are also strengthening themselves, because I don’t want to lie and say Sundowns did not strengthen the team better from where they were last season.

“I think they have done exceptionally well, but unfortunately that strengthening was mainly from players from outside. You know, the two players — Reisinho and Nuno Santos — are big additions to that team.”

Injuries, he says, have further complicated matters for South African players at Chloorkop.

“And maybe they are going to help the team, even in the Champions League, but unfortunately you’ve got a [Themba] Zwane who is just coming back from injury. You’ve got a Thapelo [Morena] who has also been injured a lot, even [Bathusi] Aubaas has not played too many matches. Then [Mothobi] Mvala has not been playing at all in that central defence. And they have also not been doing exceptionally well, to be honest, and that compounds the issue.”

Mngqithi says Broos’ Bafana selections reflect a simple truth: game time matters more than reputation.

“And Hugo [Broos] brings in players because there are players who are playing regularly for their teams — like [Khulumani] Ndamane at TS Galaxy, [Samukelo] Kabini at Sekhukhune — and he wants to have players who are playing.

“It makes sense to bring players who are playing for their teams rather than to force matters with players who have not had enough game time and also players who are not getting younger.”