Broos Retreats After ‘Racist’ Storm Over Mbokazi AFCON Delay

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has backtracked on comments he made about Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s late arrival to Bafana Bafana’s AFCON camp, after the remarks sparked criticism.

The 73-year-old had earlier criticised the 20-year-old defender for travelling to the United States to complete a move to Chicago Fire, arriving after other players had entered camp ahead of AFCON 2025.

Broos said he was “not pleased with what he did”, describing the missed flight as “an unprofessional attitude”.

He also criticised Orlando Pirates for sending what he called “nonsense”, adding that protecting the player was “very bad”. Broos went further, questioning Mbokazi’s decision to move to Chicago, saying it was “not even a top team”.

The coach also drew backlash after saying Mbokazi would leave his office “as a white guy”, a comment widely condemned.

Following the backlash, Broos issued a clarification, admitting his “choice of words was not right” and offering an apology. He stressed that he was “neither a racist nor sexist”.

Bafana Bafana will open their AFCON 2025 campaign against Angola at Stade de Marrakech on Monday, December 22, in Morocco today.