Broos reveals advice to ‘master chef’ Mbule that got him ‘cooking’ for Bafana

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has made public details of his talk with Orlando Pirates midfielder Sipho Mbule after giving him a call-up last month.

Mbule made a return to the national team setup after a four-year hiatus as Broos called him up in light of injuries to key midfielders Themba Zwane and Patrick Maswanganyi ahead of their matches against Lesotho and Nigeria in September.

The midfielder had an impressive performance in both matches, earning praise from Broos and fans, and the Bafana Bafana boss is delighted that the midfielder listened to his advice.

What did coach Hugo Broos tell Sipho Mbule?

“You know, I told him, Sipho [Mbule], when he came for camp, and I said, ‘Sipho, this is the second chance you get; don't spoil it.' He was with us from the first day I was here [in 2021], but yeah, there were some other things—I think more important to him than football in certain moments,” said Broos.

“He's a guy with much talent, but when you see his career—even when he played in good teams or he was in good teams—he didn't have the career that matches his talent,” added Broos, referring to the off-field issues that have bedeviled Mbule’s career.

Broos says he got the best out of the midfielder, nicknamed ‘master chef,’ when he promised him a place in his squad at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as long as he maintained the high standards on and off the pitch.

Bafana boss reveals AFCON promise to Pirates star

“So, I think [the talk] motivated him. I told him also that, ‘Look, if you do what you have to do and show me, there's AFCON in December; don't forget it,'” said Boos. “He did what we asked of him, and I gave him the confidence to be with us again and to do the same thing again. He should help us… he should help the team enormously.”

Broos is now counting on Mbule for his team’s upcoming assignments and hopes to rely on him if Mamelodi Sundowns playmaker Themba Zwane continues to struggle with injuries but would be delighted to have both in his squad going forward.

“Let us hope that Themba [Zwane] can come back, and if we have Mbule and Themba, it should be a very good thing for our team. But we will see how things are going with Themba,” said the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations-winning coach.

Mbule has looked reborn since signing for Pirates ahead of this season, having seen his loan spell at Sekhukhune United end poorly last term, while his parent club Sundowns lost patience with him over the off-the-pitch problems that included allegedly coming to training while under the influence of alcohol.