Campbell reveals Mosimane’s call behind Bafana Bafana switch

Shandre Campbell says Pitso Mosimane personally asked him to move from the Bafana Bafana squad to the national under-23 team so he could provide experience in their upcoming Olympic qualifying campaign.

Campbell was included in Mosimane’s first Bafana Bafana squad, which played three matches between the end of September and the beginning of October. He was not named in the matchday squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea.

The 19-year-old did feature in the friendly international against Egypt, however, and made a decisive contribution by setting up Puso Dithejane for the winning goal.

Despite that promising performance at senior level, Campbell was subsequently made available to Raymond Mdaka’s under-23 side for their U-23 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar. The teams will meet in back-to-back matches, with both fixtures scheduled to take place at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

Campbell is one of the more experienced players in the under-23 group and is expected to play an important role as South Africa pursue qualification for the Olympics.

He said Mosimane contacted him directly to explain why he would be returning to the younger side.

“Coach Pitso called me and he told me he believed in me and he said he wanted me to go down to the under-23 and be a senior player and help them out as much as I can. I said ‘of course coach, I will do anything for the nation’.”

Campbell said the move was straightforward because he already knew the players and coaching staff well.

“The under-23 team has been my team since Cosafa. I know everyone very well and the coach Raymond and coach Pitso believe in me. They trust me, which I love the most. Trust is important, so I thank them for trusting me,” Campbell told media from the under-23 camp.

His switch came after discussions between Mosimane and Mdaka over how best to use him in the Madagascar qualifiers. While Campbell had been part of the senior international setup, the decision was made for him to take on a leadership role with the under-23s.

The two matches against Madagascar will be played at the same venue, Lucas Moripe Stadium, as South Africa attempt to progress towards the Olympics.