Hugo Broos, the head coach of Bafana Bafana, will be happy to hear that his striker Lyle Foster will be returning to the English Premier League (EPL) after his team was once again promoted to the top division.
Burnley were relegated to the Championship at the end of last season, but under Scott Parker, they clawed their way back to one of the most watched leagues in the world.
They sealed their spot and gained promotion to the EPL with a win over Sheffield United on Easter Monday.
Burnley won the game 2-1 and were crowned champions with two matches left on their league programme.
In March, Foster scored a crucial goal for Bafana against Benin in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers when he opened the floodgates in a 2-0 victory for the South Africans at Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny, Ivory Coast.
The away win meant that Bafana remained on top of Group C and is in the right groove to book their ticket to the World Cup.
The former Orlando Pirates forward is recovering from an injury and has been undergoing treatment since the beginning of April.
In the 27 matches he played this season, he delivered five assists and registered his name twice on the scoreboard.
Coach commends his players
Parker spoke to Sky TV after the match: “We deserve this moment to celebrate. The players have earned every bit of this moment to relax and have a good time.
“We’ll recover really quick. We’ll enjoy it, and then our full focus will go towards a tough game against Queens Park Rangers [QPR] on Saturday.
“I’ve seen the sacrifice and the commitment every single one of these players makes. They need some air. They need some oxygen, and they deserve it.
“But I’ll get them back to where they need to be at the weekend. To do it in front of our home fans, to celebrate in front of our home fans, was key.”
He added: “Obviously, a different result tonight, a draw, obviously a win [for Sheffield United] would have taken it a little bit further down the line where that maybe had been the option for us, so I’m delighted that the fans could share that.
“I thought they were incredible. They drove every bit. I’m pleased that, you know, the long season, which it’s been, they can celebrate in front of us.”
If Burnley had drawn with Sheffield, their celebrations would have been delayed until Saturday’s trip to QPR.
