“Not Meant to Be” – Kekana Breaks Silence On Morena’s Injury

Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana has spoken about how unfortunate it is that his teammate Thapelo Morena will miss out on the final Bafana Bafana squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to injury.

Morena is among the players who will not have the opportunity to showcase their talent on football’s biggest stage after suffering an injury that also sidelined him during the closing stages of the club season.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos announced his final squad on Wednesday, with players such as Kamogelo Sebelebele, who operates in the same position as Morena, earning selection instead.

Kekana expressed sympathy for his teammate, describing the situation as heartbreaking, but acknowledged that perhaps it was simply not meant to be for Morena this time around.

“Obviously, this is a good friend of mine, not only a teammate but a brother,” said Kekana.

“He fought so hard to try to overcome this injury, and we all wanted him to overcome it. It’s very unfortunate for him, and I feel his pain. But I also understand that maybe it was not meant to be. It’s just unfortunate that he picked up an injury.”

Kekana, who was also left out of the preliminary squad despite being part of Broos’ setup over the past few years, has called on South Africans to rally behind the players selected for the World Cup.

“To the guys going off to the World Cup, we are rallying behind them,” said Kekana.

“I’m hoping for the best. There’s a lot of talent there. I know who I’ll be watching. They are all my people, but as a nation, I think we need to come together and rally behind them.”

Meanwhile, Bafana Bafana were scheduled to depart for Mexico on Sunday morning ahead of the World Cup, but visa-related issues have delayed their travel plans.

SAFA confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the team would remain in Johannesburg and continue training while the association works to resolve the administrative setback.