Broos blasts Mbokazi over professionalism

by Staff Reporter

Thursday Dec 11, 2025. 13:00

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos publicly scolded Mbekezeli Mbokazi over his professionalism, after the player reported late for the national team’s training camp.

Mbokazi played his last game for Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout final at the weekend, which saw the Buccaneers claim their second piece of silverware for the season.

The 20-year-old is set to join Chicago Fire of the MLS after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which runs from 21 December to 18 January.

The former Belgian international, speaking at a press conference at the Bafana Bafana camp in Pretoria, stated that despite allowing Orlando Pirates players an extra two days to rest ahead of reporting for camp, Mbokazi missed his flight much to the disappointment of Broos and Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.

“I think you have the right to know that I’m not pleased with what he did. So he let us know that he missed his flight yesterday in Durban. It was the coach of Pirates who informed me and he was very angry that he missed his flight. Because, and that was his words, it’s an unprofessional attitude,” said Broos.

The coach cited the incident as another example of unprofessional attitudes displayed by South African players.

“And I think I spoke already to you about the unprofessional attitudes of South African players. You have again an example of it. And then Pirates sent me a message with nonsense. Really nonsense. Why he missed his flight. And I will not tell you what the nonsense are. Those are nonsense. And that is the worst thing of that. That the club protects the player of his unprofessional attitude,” Broos said.

“This is South Africa. And this is very bad. Very bad. When you are a [20-year-old] guy who received a call up for the national team to play AFCON and to play World Cup next year. And the coach gives you a few days more off. If you are somebody with a good attitude, you don’t even want those two days and you are here on Monday like the other players. So I will have a chat with him.”

From his statements, Broos clearly believes that Mbokazi’s meteoric rise has gone to his head, and was clear that behaviour of that sort will not be tolerated within the national team.

“I can’t accept [it]. But I know why. I know why. Suddenly, [Mbokazi] is a star. He thinks he is a star. He thinks he is a star. This is the attitude of a star, “I decide when I come”. I will explain to him. I will explain to him. And I am very angry, very angry [at his] attitude.”

Bafana Bafana are set to face Ghana, without its European-based stars, at the Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg on Tuesday 16 December before travelling to Morocco for the continental showpiece.