Broos reveals reason for Zwane's Bafana return: 'Only fools don't change their minds'

It was a welcome surprise when Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos included veteran Themba Zwane in his 23-man squad for matches against Sierra Leone and Botswana.

The 33-year-old and several players over the age of 30 were deemed surplus to requirements set by the Belgian-born mentor.

However, Broos turned a new leaf in the second half of 2022 after Bafana tasted defeats to France and Morocco earlier this year.

He admits the team needs to regain their confidence, which is one of the reasons he requested friendly matches against lowly ranked teams.

But Zwane's return, despite his age, has been called for by fans as he has been a standout performer for Mamelodi Sundowns over the past three to four seasons.

The quick-thinking midfielder was a regular in the Bafana setup before Broos' appointment in 2021, but the 70-year-old lowered the squad's average age by excluding older players and bringing in younger faces.

"Only fools don't change their minds. I said a lot of things about him and certainly that he was too old," Broos said on SABC. 

"I can confirm that I came here, and I tried to have a younger team. I tried younger players, and every time there was 'Zwane, Zwane, Zwane'.

"Every time I said, 'but he is 33 years old, this guy will be 35-year-old if we qualify for [2023] Afcon [finals],' but when I see Zwane playing, I can see that it is a guy we need and we can use.

"He is an intelligent player, he can score goals, and he is putting in great performances for his team.

"We have to give him a chance, certainly now as Percy Tau, Fagrie Lakay, Evidence Makgopa [and] Bongokuhle Hlongwane are all not there (all injured).

"It is four strikers who are not here. I wouldn't be honest with myself if I didn't call up Zwane now.

"It (Zwane's