Poggenpoel urged to embrace Bafana Bafana chance by uncle Shane

Former Cape Town Spurs midfielder Shane Poggenpoel has told his nephew Brooklyn to enjoy the experience after earning a place in Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana squad.

The Durban City midfielder was included in the 30-man group named by returning head coach Mosimane for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, as well as a friendly against Egypt. He is one of the new faces in the squad and the only player selected from The Citizens.

Brooklyn Poggenpoel, 26, has continued the form he showed last season. He had been included on the fringes of previous Bafana Bafana preliminary squads but did not make the final group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

His call-up represents a proud moment for the Poggenpoel family, with Shane backing him to learn from the established players around him.

“We’re very proud. Hopefully he can just enjoy himself there among the quality of players and learn as much as he can,” Shane said.

The former SuperSport United midfielder believes the difficult part was securing a place in the national-team setup, rather than handling the expectations that come with it.

“I don’t think there’s pressure on him. The pressure was getting into the setup,” he said.

“I mean, a guy from Durban City being in the Bafana setup with all those international players from international teams, the likes of Glasgow Rangers and Yaya Sithole from Portugal.”

Shane said the call-up should instead be viewed as a chance for his nephew to observe how experienced players and the coaching staff work.

“I don’t think there’s pressure. It’s just a good opportunity to learn and see how those guys operate,” he continued.

“He’s got self-confidence, so I’m sure he won’t take it as pressure. Like they always say, it’s a privilege.”

Poggenpoel added that the midfielder should appreciate the opportunity to pursue his career alongside high-level players under Mosimane.

“The pressure is on the guy who doesn’t have food for tomorrow,” he said.

“Here he is doing what he loves, and he is among good players and a good coach. So it’s an opportunity to learn every day. That’s my take on it.”