The South African Under 17 team kick off their participation at the World Cup with a Group A opener in Qatar against Bolivia.
They have played just one friendly against Malawi on Sunday in the build-up to the competition, securing a 3-0 win.
The Under 20 side, who are the reigning African champions after winning the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt in May, were eliminated from the U20 World Cup in the round of 16 by Morocco, also with little preparation.
Speaking after naming his preliminary squad to face Zambia in an international friendly next month, the Bafana boss said in the Sowetan: "U17s are going to the World Cup, and U20s were in the World Cup, so I think we are at a crossroads now. If we are not going to work with those guys in the next coming months, in two years you won't hear anything about them anymore.
"You have to organise camps for them, or else they'll be gone. It's not enough to go to the Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations] and World Cup and stop there.
"You have talented players, so work with it, let them play during FIFA breaks because they have to stay at top level, otherwise the standard will drop and the players will disappear."
