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A PSL flavour to African Cup of Nations

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Edmilson Dove of Kaizer Chiefs challenged by Evidence Makgopa of Orlando Pirates during the DStv Premiership 2023/24 match between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg on the 11 November 2023 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix

South Africa will likely have the squad with the most home-based players for the African Cup of Nations finals after Hugo Broos named 20 of his 23 players for the Ivory Coast from Premier Soccer League clubs.

But clubs from the DStv Premiership and the Motsepe Foundation Championship will also be represented in other squads, with all but four of the 24 participating nations having announced their squads by Saturday.

Only Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana and Mali are still to name their squads and two South African-based goalkeepers are expected among their number.
Ghana are to be captained by Orlando Pirates’ Richard Ofori despite the fact the giant ‘keeper is down the pecking order at his club and not played a single minute for them in this campaign.

Polokwane City’s first choice goalkeeper Manuel Sapunga is also certain to get a call-up before the January 3 deadline for countries to name their final 27-man squad.
For the rest, there are plenty of South African links in the various teams:

Group A
Guinea Bissau: Captain and goalkeeper Jonas Mendes is going to his fourth successive tournament and the 34-year-old had two seasons at Black Leopards after they signed him from Portugal. He has since moved to Greece and plays for Kalamata in the second division.

Ivory Coast: Badra Ali Sangare of Sekhukhune United was a fortuitous first choice for the Ivorians after their regular No. 1 was busted for steroid use but this time he looks likely to be back on the bench again after the Ivorians found a new goalkeeper in the French second division.

Nigeria: The Super Eagles have long had a goalkeeping crisis — it is how they were eliminated at the last tournament – and so are on the perpetual look out for a proper custodian. Coach Jose Peserio went to Gqeberha last month to visit Stanley Nwabili and has since picked the uncapped Chippa United ‘keeper in his squad.

Group B:
Mozambique: Edmilson is the only PSL player in the Mambas squad but the 40-year-old Dominguez is no stranger to South Africans fans, having won the Player of the Season when he helped SuperSport United to a first league title in 2008 and then starred with Mamelodi Sundowns before moving onto Royal AM, where his contract ran out in July.

Group E
Namibia: Peter Shalulile is back after missing last month’s opening two World Cup qualifiers and is one of nine South African-based players picked by coach Collin Benjamin in a 28-man preliminary squad, which he must cut by one. Riaan Hanamub (AmaZulu), Lubeni Haukongo (Cape Town Spurs), Deon Hotto (Orlando Pirates) and Chippa United goalkeeper Loydt Kazapua are from the DStv Premiership while Ananias Gebhardt (Baroka), Joslin Kamatuka (Maritzburg United), Edward Maova (Pretoria Callies) and Bethuel Muzeu (Black Leopards) play in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. Denzil Hoaseb is ex-Jomo Cosmos, Highlands Park and Polokwane City while Charles Hambira had one season at TS Sporting and Kennedy Amutenya one season at Ajax Cape Town. Petrus Shitembi played for University of Pretoria, AmaZulu and Stellenbosch before he went off to play in Malaysia.

Group F
Zambia: Sekhukhune United’s Rally Bwalya is the only South African-based player as Gamphani Lungu of SuperSport United did not make the cut. Goalkeeper Toaster Nsabta now back playing his club football in Zambia after two seasons at Sekhukhune while Roderick Kabwe is now in Iraq after playing for Ajax Cape Town, Black Leopards and Sekhukhune.