'He is a black guy but when he comes out of my room he will be white (with fear),' said the Bafana head coach.
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has slammed Mbekezeli Mbokazi for missing his flight to join up with his teammates ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.
Broos unhappy with agent over MLS move
Broos also criticised the 20 year-old central defender’s agent Basia Michaels over his move from Orlando Pirates to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire.
On Saturday, Mbokazi captained Orlando Pirates to victory in the Carling Black Label Knockout at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, his final match for the Buccaneers.
He was supposed to fly to Johannesburg on Monday and join the Bafana camp at the TUKS High Performance Centre in Tshwane.
But Mbokazi missed his flight and only joined the camp on Tuesday.
“I am not pleased with what he did,” said Broos.
“He let us know he missed his flight from Durban yesterday.”
Mbokazi seemingly went home to KZN after the CKO final.
“It was the coach of Pirates (Abdeslam) Ouaddou who informed me,” added Broos.
“He (Ouaddou) was very angry that he missed his flight. These were his (Ouaddou’s) words – ‘unprofessional attitude’.
“I have already spoken about players with an unprofessional attitude. Then Pirates sent me a nonsense message. I will not tell you what it was but it was nonsense. It is worse that the club protects the player.
“This is very bad. You are a 20 year-old guy and you have been called up to play in the AFCON and in the World Cup next year. We give you a few extra days off … (but) if someone has a good attitude they don’t want the days off and are here on Monday.
“So I will have a chat with him after training. He is a black guy but when he comes out of my room he will be white (with fear).
‘Suddenly he thinks he is a star’
“I know why. Suddenly he thinks he is a star. This is the attitude of a star – ‘I decide when I come’.”
Mbokazi’s rise to stardom has been fast and he secured a big money move to Chicago Fire in the MLS. He will join his new team after the AFCON finals.
“What is he going to do in Chicago?,” said Broos, however.
“They are not even a top team in America. But I know what happened. A nice little woman who is his agent and thinks she knows football is doing what many agents are doing now. They are saying ‘How much (money) can I get?’ If they were clever they would know it is the AFCON and … a World Cup and other teams are better. What will he (Mbokazi) do in a big city like that? No, I don’t think it is a good choice.”
