CAPE TOWN, Dec 1 : South Africa named two uncapped players in a 25-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations finals, with coach Hugo Broos seeking to give 20-year-olds Shandre Campbell and Tylon Smith added international exposure.
The pair were surprise inclusions when Broos named his selection on Monday - the first of the 24 squads competing at the finals in Morocco later this month to be named.
Campbell plays at Club Brugge in Belgium and Smith for Queens Park Rangers in the Championship and they have both had only a single senior start in domestic cup competition this season.
“I’m also looking a little to the future with this selection,” Broos explained as he announced his squad. South Africa are competing at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. next year.
There are nine players who survive from the squad that finished third at the last Cup of Nations finals in the Ivory Coast.
“We have to do at least the same thing we did at the last Cup of Nations finals, and that is reaching the semi-finals,” said the veteran Belgian coach.
“We are going with a lot more experience, and that’s the big change that has happened to this team over the last two years. We’ve become a lot more mature.”
South Africa open their tournament in Marrakech on December 22 against Angola and also meet Egypt and Zimbabwe in Group B.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates), Ricardo Goss (Siwelele), Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Defenders: Samukele Kabini (Molde), Thabang Matuludi (Polokwane City), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Orlando Pirates), Aubrey Modiba (Mamelodi Sundowns), Khuliso Mudau (Mamelodi Sundowns), Khulumani Ndamane (TS Galaxy), Siyabonga Ngezana (Steaua Bucharest), Nkosinathi Sibisi (Orlando Pirates), Tylon Smith (Queens Park
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