After sharp criticism from South African fans, which seems to have influenced Hugo Broos to drop Percy Tau from the Bafana Bafana squad for a long period last year, Percy Tau has finally responded.
Tau, by his own standards, did not live up to expectations at the Africa Cup of Nations between January and February 2024.
A section of supporters in the country were critical of his performances, and he was omitted from the subsequent squad that played international friendly matches, in the FIFA Series, against Andorra and Algeria a month after a third-place AFCON finish.
READ: Condition delaying Tau's potential move to Zamalek 'revealed'
'The Lion of Judah' also experienced a dip in form at his former club The Red Devils and was no longer a regular feature and, as a result, Broos dropped him from AFCON qualifiers towards the end of 2024.
Tau was only recalled in March this year, after he switched to Qatar SC, and with the former Mamelodi Sundowns man now a free agent, he has opened up on the matter.
"I still feel I can contribute to the country. Yes, there are performances that put doubts or questions, but that does not make you a bad player at all and it doesn't change who I am. My name will never change, I'm still Percy and I'll always try to do my best," Tau said on 947's MSW.
"And yes, there are players who are doing well, but then do you wanna have the younger ones only in the national team and take out the other ones? Football is a sport where there's phases. You'll have your lows, you'll have your highs, but then do you kick him out when he's having his low?
"I don't feel that should be the approach because then we're starting to have a problem with what it takes to play for the national team and we don't want that to happen to anyone, where they start to feel different, that, 'Ah you support only when I'm doing well'.
READ: African giants 'decide' against signing Tau
"I feel it should always be balanced, the younger and the older ones. And, by the way, I'm still 31 years, the coach should not make it like I'm 38 years now (laughs)," he noted.
The Witbank-born star last featured for Bafana in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin in March, for the first time since June last year.
