Broos fuming over Rulani's revealing Bafana pair's injuries in the media

Another club versus country row looks to be on the cards as Bafana Bafana Hugo Broos detailed how his Mamelodi Sundowns counterpart Rulani Mokwena has irked him.

After their 2-0 win over Maritzburg United on Sunday, Mokwena told the media that his Bafana stars, Ronwen Williams and Teboho Mokoena, were carrying niggles, implying they should withdraw from the national team squad to face Andorra and Algeria in Fifa Series international friendlies, to be played in Algeria on Thursday and next Tuesday, respectively.

Addressing SA media via Zoom on Tuesday, Broos was spitting fire, saying Mokwena and Sundowns medical team should have provided a medical report to Safa if Williams and Mokoena were injured, instead of telling the media. Broos expects all the seven selected Sundowns players, including the duo, to join the rest of the team in Algeria tonight.

"I read something [on] Rulani saying 'yeah those players are not fit blah, blah, blah'. Why is he talking to the press? Why doesn't the medical staff of Sundowns contact our medical staff? I can't believe what's in the papers,'' Broos said.

"This is a very important matter that needs to be discussed with the doctors, not in the press. I am very sorry, but I am upset about this kind of information.

"If they (Williams and Mokoena) are injured, if they are really injured, they (Sundowns) have to inform us and not talk with the press and tell them that they are injured. I think we have a doctor, they know, they have the phone number of the doctor."

The Belgian expanded: "I am very sorry, but I don't like that kind of thing, telling the press some things. Call us and tell us this is the problem with the players, and this is the medical report... they didn't do it, so for me they are fit, final! I expect the seven players of Sundowns tonight here in camp.''

Of the seven Sundowns players in the Bafana squad, only Thapelo Morena and Terrence Mashego were part of the matchday squad against Maritzburg on Sunday, with the latter coming off the bench in the 87th minute. Mashego remained an unused sub.

Themba Zwane, Grant Kekana and Aubrey Modiba are the other Downs stars in Broos' team.

After the Maritzburg game, Mokwena dismissed the notion that he was resting Williams and Mokoena, insisting they didn't take part because of niggles from the recent Afcon tournament in Ivory Coast. Both Bafana games kick off at 11pm SA time.

"Ronza (Williams) is struggling with a shoulder and we’ve got a very tough CAF Champions League game. Tebza (Mokoena) is struggling with a knee injury and has had it since Afcon,” Mokwena said.