Broos on how he plans to contain ‘bad boy’ Mbule – ‘I will have a chat with him’

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is keen to ensure midfielder Sipho Mbule produces what he wants on and off the pitch after handing him a national team call-up.

Mbule earned a late call-up to the Bafana Bafana squad, coming in as a replacement for his Orlando Pirates team-mate Patrick Maswanganyi, who has pulled out of camp due to an injury sustained during Sunday’s PSL win against Chippa United.

It is a great opportunity for Mbule, who had made the provisional team before he was dropped from the final 23-man squad last week, and returns to the Bafana setup since September 2021.

Broos justifies Mbule’s call-up

The Pirates midfielder is enjoying a career revival with the Buccaneers under coach Abdeslam Ouaddou and his displays have won over Broos, who feels he can be the replacement for injured duo Themba Zwane and Maswangayi.

“Why Sipho Mbule? I think everybody agrees that he’s a player with much qualities and I have to agree also that in the past years, we didn’t really see what we expected from a player like that,” Broos told the media on Monday. “But he’s an experienced player and one of those players who can play in that position.”

“You know already for more than a year, we look for a replacement of Themba [Zwane]. We had Tito [Maswanganyi], but now Tito is also injured, so it was very difficult to find someone with those qualities. And I think with Mbule we have the right player in the right position.”

Warning to Pirates midfielder?

However, with Mbule’s career being marked with off-field controversies that have at times landed him in trouble, Broos wants to ensure that the player is fully focused on national team duties.

“But I have to tell you also that when he comes and he will be in training, I think that I will have a little chat with him and I exactly will tell him what we expect from him,” added Broos.

Bafana Bafana will face Lesotho on Friday before hosting Nigeria four days later as they look to inch closer to World Cup qualification given they enjoy a five-point lead, heading into the final four qualifiers.