South African football legend Mlungisi "Professor" Ngubane insists Bafana Bafana's style of play is the main cause of the poor crowd attendances at recent national team matches.
On Saturday the national team played in front of an extremely low number of supporters who came to Orlando Stadium to watch Hugo Broos' team draw 0-0 with Namibia.
READ | Broos - 'We missed a player like Themba Zwane'
Apparently, the overall number of fans at the venue was just under 10 000, with most of them being kids.
"It's because of the way they select players," Ngubane tells KickOff.
"And also, the way these boys played against Namibia, they played like robots.
"Their style of play is not attracting fans; the players are too stereotypical. They need to mix their game with the South African flair.
"I'm not saying they should do what we often see in the Soweto kasi football competitions, I'm not talking about showboating, no!
"I'm talking about constructive football.
"Stop selecting people who are not playing at their clubs for their national teams.
"Why are you ignoring the Stellenbosch FC right-back and opting for Nyiko Mobbie? What else does the Stellies boy have to do to prove he is a good player? Every time he plays he gives 120 percent.
"Those are some of the things that make people not go to the Stadium to watch the team.
"Let's be honest, before coming to stadiums fans they first look at who is in the team. The whole world it's like that. People want to be entertained.
"People want to watch Themba Zwane because the football he plays entertains them.
"These boys must be allowed to play their football. Don't just play for results. That is not the way South Africans prefer their football.
"Why can't we learn from Japan? Are they better than us when it comes to skills? No. They are just free to express themselves.
"On Saturday Bafana Bafana players were not free to express themselves. They were given too many instructions. That's my opinion.
"The Monnapule Saleng that we see at Orlando Pirates is not the same as the Saleng we see in Bafana Bafana.
"That's because he is being restricted too much, they don't want him to run around with the ball, and if you look carefully, that's his strength.
"But in the national team, they want him to just play simple."
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