Urgent call to action: Andre Arendse and Hugo Broos highlight South Africa's goalkeeper crisis

The shortage of young South African goalkeepers in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) has become a major concern for both local coaches and the national team setup.

SuperSport United assistant coach Andre Arendse and Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos have both highlighted this growing problem, warning that it could hurt the future of South African football.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Arendse, a former Bafana goalkeeper, expressed frustration over the dominance of foreign goalkeepers in the PSL, which limits opportunities for young local talent.

"I don't know if I've got to be careful how I say this but I say it with all good intent, the problem we face at the moment is, and please somebody correct me if I'm wrong, that nine of our PSL clubs have foreign first-choice goalkeepers, for example," said Arendse.

"That is no disrespect to foreign goalkeepers because they add value to our game, but it’s a problem for South African football. We're not placing enough focus on developing young goalkeepers,” he added.

"Our youngest local goalkeeper playing in the PSL at the moment, I stand to be corrected, is maybe Sipho Chaine, and I think he's 28 or 29. That’s not good enough. Where are our 20-year-olds? Where are our 21-year-olds playing first-team football? This points to a serious lack of goalkeeping development," said Arendse

Arendse, who is working closely with Bafana goalkeeping coach Grant Johnson, also shared that he believes the solution lies in training more South African goalkeeping coaches who can develop young quality goalkeepers.

"We cannot just rely on Ronwen Williams, Ricardo Goss, Veli Mothwa, Sage Stephens, and Sipho Chaine. We need a younger generation of goalkeepers coming through to mount a serious challenge for the next five, 10, 15, or even 20 years of international football. That is a serious priority we are working on."

Bafana coach Hugo Broos echoed Arendse’s concerns while announcing his latest squad, that the lack of young goalkeepers has been an issue for two years.

"I've already been looking for young South African goalkeepers," Broos said. "A lot of PSL clubs have foreign goalkeepers, and the young South African goalkeepers are only second or third choice. We don’t really have a young, talented goalkeeper at the moment. It’s a big concern." Said Broos 

Broos also raised concerns about the upcoming African Nations Championship (CHAN), a tournament that only allows locally-based players, questioning who would be available to play if South Africa qualifies."Imagine we qualify for CHAN? Who will play? Some clubs recall players while on duty. It’s ridiculous."

With both Arendse and Broos raising the alarm, the pressure is mounting on PSL clubs to prioritize developing and giving game time to young South African goalkeepers. Whether this issue will be addressed in time for future international competitions remains to be seen.

IOL sport