Sibisi grateful for Broos' support as he prepares to lead Bafana

BAFANA Bafana stand-in captain Nkosinathi Sibisi is grateful to coach Hugo Broos for standing by him during times of scrutiny regarding his national team call-ups.

- MIHLALI BALEKA

Sibisi has been one of the ever-present players in the national team set-up since Broos took the reins more than four years ago.

However, his selections were not always based on form, as he was often in and out of the Orlando Pirates defensive unit due to injuries, poor form and suspensions.

Broos admitted that it was not easy to continue selecting Sibisi when he was not playing regularly, but believed his presence and natural skillset remained valuable to the team.

Fortunately for the Belgian coach, his faith has recently been rewarded. Sibisi featured prominently for Pirates this past season, missing only three Premiership matches.

As a result, Broos named him one of the temporary captains for the current international window, alongside Fawaaz Basadien, stepping in for regular captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

Basadien captained the team in the first international friendly against Tanzania at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane last Friday, which ended in a goalless draw.