Okocha questions lack of European moves for Bafana players

2026-03-08 - 17:03

African football legend Jay-Jay Okocha has criticised South African players for failing to test themselves abroad, saying many are too comfortable playing at home. Shandre Campbell and Tylon Smith are among the latest South African talents to secure moves to Europe, while Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Puso Dithejane recently joined Chicago Fire FC in the United States. ALSO READ: Austrian club extends contract of Sundowns target However, several key members of Bafana Bafana including Khuliso Mudau, Teboho Mokoena, Relebohile Mofokeng and Aubrey Modiba remain in the Betway Premiership despite reported interest from overseas clubs. Speaking exclusively to Thabiso Mosia on Game On on Radio 2000, the former Nigerian midfield maestro shared his views on why some of the PSL’s top performers prefer to stay in the lucrative domestic league. “First of all, you must have the desire to become the best version of yourself. For you to make a name for yourself globally, you must get out of your comfort zone and this is the problem,” he said. “It is my opinion that South African players are too comfortable at home. That drive is not really there but we as Nigerians, we’re very ambitious people. We like to challenge ourselves. When you come to a country like Germany, you have to try to socialise, understand the culture of the people. “You have to be willing to learn the language and just learn in general. It’s a lot easier if you have people who mentor you but it’s also about how you also present yourself. If you show that you’re willing to learn then your stay will be a lot easier. My advice is that be open and make sure you have that hunger and desire in becoming the best version of yourself.” Lyle Foster is currently the only Bafana player competing in the Premier League, widely regarded as the strongest league in world football. Despite questioning the limited number of South African exports to Europe’s elite competitions, Okocha also praised the quality of PSL after Bafana secured qualification for the FIFA World Cup later this year. “It’s happy days for South African football and it’s well deserved because they worked for it. They invested in it and the local league and they reaping the rewards of it,” he added. “That’s because most of these players are playing in the local league. That’s the impressive part of it because it shows how strong the South African league is even though I’m of the opinion that you need to have more players playing in Europe but of course you have to appreciate the work and the way things have worked out for South African football.” ALSO READ: Benni still dreams of coaching Kaizer Chiefs Okocha enjoyed a glittering career across Europe playing in Germany, Turkey, France and England. The former midfielder is now an ambassador for Germany’s top-flight league, the Bundesliga, where he remains admired for his flair and dazzling skills.