Fawaaz Basadien’s name might be on everybody’s lips right now, but he’s not getting carried away by the hype as he focuses only on being at his best for Stellenbosch and Bafana Bafana.
Basadien has been on a high since the start of the season, helping Stellies to reach the MTN8 final and second round of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminaries. His top performances, which are a continuation of last season, haven’t gone unnoticed as they caught the eye of Bafana coach Hugo Broos and Kaizer Chiefs.
Broos has drafted the 27-year-old into his final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Uganda in Orlando on Friday (6pm) and away to South Sudan on Tuesday (3pm).
Chiefs, though, are yet to act on their interest in the left-back, with Stellies reportedly insisting that their talisman is not for sale.
Basadien is not allowing the hype around him to go to his head – he knows that he has bigger fish to fry both at Bafana and Stellies.
“For me personally, it’s about controlling what I can control. Obviously, I am still contracted to Stellenbosch – that’s where I am playing,” Basadien said.
“All I can do is to put in good performances week in and week out. I mean, I am there to do my job. Never mind what is happening in the media.
“Obviously, it’s good to have a club like Chiefs interested in you. But I am contracted to Stellenbosch, my focus is on the club and putting in good performances regularly.”
Basadien is reaping the fruits of his hard work with his maiden Bafana call-up.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to represent your country. Growing up as a footballer, you always want to represent your country,” Basadien said.
“Fortunately for me, I have put in some good, consistent performances and the coach selected me. All I must do now is to take my chance and make the most of it.”
The ongoing Bafana camp is set to test the character and camaraderie between Stellenbosch and Orlando Pirates’ players as the two teams will meet in the MTN8 final on October 5. But when Basadien reflected on his Bafana’s call-up alongside his Pirates counterpart Thalente Mbatha in Dobsonville this week, he said there’s a huge difference between club and international football.
“Being with the team and the national team is different,” said Basadien, who was enjoying his ‘homecoming’ in Dobsonville after a spell with Moroka Swallows.
“Being with the team you are there with your club, but coming to the national team, you are representing your country. So you must pull together to achieve what the country wants to achieve. It’s about trying to adapt when you are coming to the national team and playing for your club.”
Pirates and Stellenbosch have been the most active teams since the start of the season, having both played five games apiece, including in the MTN8 and continental competitions.
Stellies, though, have sets tongue wagging the most. They reached the MTN8 final for the first time, at the expense of TS Galaxy and league champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
They are one match away from their first Confederation Cup group stage campaign after a resounding 8-0 win, on aggregate, over Nsingizini Hotspurs in the first round of the preliminaries. And considering that they’ve achieved those feats amid the sale of stars Iqraam Rayners, Deano van Rooyen and Antonio van Wyk, what has been key in the team’s trajectory?
“I think one thing that stands out for us as the players of Stellenbosch is that we play for each other,” Basadien explained.
“We know what we want to achieve. Everybody puts in the hard yards. There are no big egos – everybody is grounded. There’s a team spirit to help one another and see one another grow.”