Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has told Sipho Mbule to ensure his performance levels are consistently high if he has to be recalled to the national team.
Mbule, who is on loan at Sekhukhune United from Mamelodi Sundowns, has had a rebirth of sorts with Babi Noko where he has been one of the standout performers since joining the club in September.
That saw him named in the Bafana Bafana preliminary squad for this month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan but he was dropped from the final team.
Broos won’t be convinced by ‘two good games’
While he is impressed by his revival, Broos has challenged Mbule to do it on a consistent basis for a chance to get back into the national team setup.
“Mbule was on the preliminary list, so he’s doing well for the moment for Sekhukhune,” Broos said on Thursday.
“But I’m not the guy who, after one good game or two good games, will say, ‘Okay, this one comes to Bafana’. It’s up to him to confirm in the next games.
“And then maybe we can look at him and say, ‘Okay, now it’s the right time’. Because he’s a good player. He was with us in the beginning, but after that his performances went down.
Does Mbule have a way back into the Bafana setup?
“When I saw how he was on the pitch. There were some kilos too much also, I think, at that moment. So, let’s hope for him that he understands that it’s not enough only to have talent, you have to also be able to show your talent.
“And little by little he’s doing it now in Sekhukhune. So, let’s hope that he confirms it in the next weeks and months.”
Mbule last played for Bafana Bafana in September 2021 during their 2022 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe.
