Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has slammed Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s transfer to Major League Soccer [MLS] side Chicago Fire, saying it’s a wrong move for the young defender.
The 20-year-old will move to the US after the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco later this month after completing a move from Orlando Pirates.
But that left Broos unimpressed as he felt his agent, Basia Michaels, was a bit impatient, suggesting she should have waited for Afcon and World Cup to finish to attract better offers.
WATCH | Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has slammed defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for missing his flight and arriving late for camp in Pretoria. Broos also questioned whether the 20-year-old’s move to US side Chicago Fire is in his best interest.
— Sowetan (@Sowetan1981) December 10, 2025
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“I will tell you what I think. What is he going to do in Chicago?” Broos asked after he was quizzed about what his thoughts were about Mbokazi’s move during a press conference at Tuks High Performance Centre in Pretoria on Wednesday. “(Chicago Fire) is not even a top team in America.
“But I know what happens when an agent thinks she knows more than what many agents are doing. If she is a little bit clever, there is Afcon and next year’s World Cup, there will be other teams better for his career ... not Chicago. I don’t think it is a good choice.”
Broos also slammed Mbokazi after he missed a flight from Durban to Johannesburg to join Bafana in camp ahead of the Afcon preparations.
Mbokazi was supposed to fly on Monday but only joined the camp on Wednesday after helping Pirates win the Carling Knockout title in Polokwane.
If she is a little bit clever, there is Afcon and next year’s World Cup, there will be other teams better for his career ... not Chicago.
— Bafana coach Hugo Broos
“It was Pirates coach [Abdeslam Ouaddou] who informed me [that Mbokazi missed his flight] and he was very angry, in his words, ‘it’s an unprofessional attitude’,” Broos said. “Pirates sent me a message explaining why he missed his flight.
“When you are a 19-year-old guy who received a call-up for the national team to play in Afcon and the World Cup next year, and the coach gives you a few days off, if you are someone with a good attitude, you don’t even want those two days, you are here on Monday like other players.
“I will have a chat with him after training ... suddenly, he thinks he is a star. This is the attitude of a star. I’m very angry about his attitude.”
Sowetan
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