{
  "id": 8943030,
  "title": "Bafana’s Mailula – ‘It made me so happy’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/bafanas-mailula-it-made-me-so-happy",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T14:27:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/soccer/bafana-mailula-made-me-so-happy/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cassius Mailula, the striker for Mamelodi Sundowns, expressed immense joy at both returning to the South African national team and reconnecting with his former coach, Pitso Mosimane. Mailula, who was promoted to Sundowns' first team squad by Mosimane during his early career, returned to the Masandawana club after a challenging period overseas. His impressive performances for Sundowns have secured his place in the squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea. Both matches will take place in South Africa and Egypt, with an additional friendly international against Egypt scheduled for October 4.\n\nMailula, who was called up to the Bafana Bafana squad under previous head coach Hugo Broos, played in two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Liberia in March 2023. However, after joining Toronto FC in July of the same year, he received limited playing time, making it impossible for Broos to include him in the subsequent squads. Despite this, Mailula remains confident in his abilities, stating, \"I always believed that I belong in the national team, because of the quality I have.\"\n\nMailula's inclusion in the national team squad is not only a personal triumph but also a testament to the importance of club performance in securing a place for players in the South African national team. \"Even with the previous coach (Broos) I was called up,\" he said. \"Things didn't work out the way I wanted because I was not playing at my club. It showed that it doesn't matter who you are, you need to play at club level and earn your call up.\" Mailula's return to Bafana Bafana and his strong relationship with Mosimane further highlights his potential to contribute to the team's success.",
  "summary": "'I always believed that I belong in the national team, because of the quality I have,' said the Sundowns striker.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}