Mkhalele Confirms Mbokazi Incident “Ironed Out” Ahead Of AFCON
Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele says the issue involving Mbekezeli Mbokazi, which had angered national team coach Hugo Broos, has now been resolved.
Mbokazi arrived in camp on Wednesday after missing his flight from Durban to Johannesburg to join Bafana Bafana at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre, where the team is preparing for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco later this month.
The defender had been granted a few days off after helping Orlando Pirates win the Carling Knockout Cup by defeating Marumo Gallants at Peter Mokaba Stadium last Saturday. However, when he later joined camp along with other Pirates players, his delayed arrival drew strong criticism from Broos.
Broos publicly lambasted Mbokazi, stating that his late arrival was unacceptable and making remarks that were widely interpreted as inappropriate. While Broos appeared to suggest he was joking, the comments were viewed by political parties such as the UDM as racist, prompting the party to lodge a formal complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission on Wednesday.
“I won’t go into each and every point, but I can say that the issue has been resolved,” said Mkhalele.
“It was important for us to deal with it properly so that we can continue with our preparations. The issue with Mbokazi has been settled.”
Broos also criticised Mbokazi’s agent, Basia Michaels, for facilitating the defender’s move from Orlando Pirates to MLS side Chicago Fire, which is set to take place after AFCON in January. The Belgian coach questioned the decision, making disparaging remarks about the agent and expressing his low regard for the MLS.
At AFCON, Bafana Bafana have been drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Angola and neighbours Zimbabwe. They will open their campaign against Angola in Marrakech on 22 December.
Mkhalele said it is vital for the team to start the tournament on a winning note.
“We will work hard to make sure that we win our first game,” said Mkhalele, a member of Bafana’s 1996 AFCON-winning squad.
“We can draw inspiration from 1996. Back then, we were considered to be in a group of death, but we made sure we won our opening match against Cameroon.
“We will approach this tournament with the same attitude. Egypt will be a tough opponent, but we are not underestimating the other teams. Given the quality in our group, it is important that we win our first game and then build momentum by trying to win the remaining matches.”
