Rulani Mokwena defends Hugo Broos right to choose Bafana Bafana squad

Speaking during a Q&A session with the SA Football Journalists’ Association this week, Mokwena was asked to weigh in on Broos’ decision to omit attacker Thembinkosi Lorch from recent national team squads. 

Mokwena insisted that Broos has earned the freedom to make such calls after leading Bafana to qualification for both the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and 2026 FIFA World Cup.  

"I think you raised some fundamentally very good questions, but I know if the comments come from Rulani, it's very easy to be taken in a different direction," responded a cautious Mokwena.

"What I can say is that I think, in this moment we've got a head coach in Hugo Broos, who's doing a very good job – I think he's done incredibly well for the country and players, and there's a very strong sense of trust and a good rapport between him and the players.

"That's very important at this level, and I think we've just got to continue to go in the direction he has chosen, it might not necessarily be a direction that I for one agree with on many aspects.

"But I think the success he's had, he's worked to deserve the credit to make certain executive decisions that we might not all agree with, but I think in the success he has had he deserves to continue to lead us the way he has been, and to receive all our support.

"Because, in the end, the most important thing is that the national team succeeds."

READ: Mokwena: Saint Eloi Lupopo a real threat

Mokwena added that Lorch must take a page out of Themba Zwane’s book.

"In football, anything can change at any time, and for Lorch – he just needs to have a look at Themba Zwane as a source of inspiration because Themba Zwane was in the same position he is in at the moment," noted the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach.

"I remember saying to Mshishi, you've got to be so good that it's difficult to ignore you, and that's exactly what Mshishi did. 

"Themba was so good that, even though at that time the coach felt he didn't want Themba at the time – for reasons we had to respect, and to Broos' credit, he mentioned that was one of the things he felt in the earlier parts of his rein he had gotten wrong.

"So for a coach to say this publicly, you've got to also give a lot of credit to Hugo Broos for this."