Bafana Bafana attacker Percy Tau has explained why he needed to have a word with head coach Hugo Broos over comments made by the Belgian mentor after he was excluded from the squad.
Broos' time with Bafana has been a mixture of success, frustration and misunderstanding.
While his no-holds-barred approach and honest assessment of players and everything surrounding them has been a breath of fresh air for some, it has landed harshly on others and for some, just a tad over the line.
Enter Percy Tau.
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The former Mamelodi Sundowns star was dropped from the squad due to what Broos believed was overly harsh criticism from South Africans after a less-than-impressive showing from Tau at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 31-year-old was dropped for several national team camps that followed, with the Belgian mentor citing psychological challenges this time.
This, however, was not the case for the attacker himself and the 2023 CAF Interclub Player of the Year felt he needed to have a word with the tactician.
"A lot of times [he has said something that I did not feel was right] and I have engaged with him about that," Tau said on 947's MSW.
"It was these issues of [Al] Ahly when there was just so much reporting from Ahly. One of those was saying I was having depression, mentally, going for therapy, and he also came and spoke out about that.
"And I said: 'Coach, I think mental issue is a serious issue, you shouldn’t take it lightly. If we were to engage about that, don’t take it from the outside. At least speak to me, engage with me, and ask me: Percy, if you are really struggling, what’s happening?
"Because when you read about it from the media, it loses its value, whereby mental health is a serious issue, and I’m not going through that," said the Witbank-born lad, before giving insight on his difficulties at the time.
"So, what I was dealing with in Egypt, there was just so much media (reports). A lot of the reporting, 90% was incorrect and the 10% was when I’m on the pitch when we either lost, or I assisted or I scored. That [part] was correct, but the rest of the things were just people making it up.
"Of course, the coach is in South Africa, he reads these things, and he cares about the player, he wants to engage, and he speaks out.
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"But I said the approach could have been, 'Let’s at least speak on the phone', so that he would understand that I have no mental issue. It’s just these people who are reporting, and I cannot go and reply to them every time because I still have to play football," explained Tau.
'Lion of Judah' is determined to reclaim a spot in a competitive Bafana squad that could be headed to the United States in 2026 for the FIFA World Cup.
Photo: Gallo Sport/Lefty Shivhambu
