Ex-Chiefs striker warns Mbokazi & co. about discipline – ‘Way you play your football is way you live your life’

Mbekezeli Mbokazi has been trending for the last couple of days after falling out with Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.

The newly signed Chicago Fire defender arrived in the national team’s residential camp late, as opposed to the other players. It was not a good gesture to the Belgian who is shaping Bafana Bafana for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Morocco from December 21 to January 18.

Kaizer Chiefs legend, who also won the 1996 AFCON with South Africa, Shaun Bartlett has explained why it is vital for the national team players to maintain their discipline.

You have to respect coach’s rules

“I don’t mess around – that’s the first thing of playing football. If you’re late for a training [session] or a meeting, that’s part of discipline,” he opened up as quoted by SABC Sport.

“And I’ve always said it to players, the way you play your football is the way you live your life, and if you’re going to be careless off the field that’s the way you’re going to be in a team environment too.

“So when it comes to dicscipline and whatever coaches’ rules are, you’ve got to respect that and I think you’re an individual but you’re part of a team, and you can’t have ill-discipline before a massive tournament for South Africa, if we want to win it,” Bartlett added.

It is not about playing on the pitch

The former Cape Town Spurs coach further explained why players have to be psychologically prepared ahead of any competitive fixture.

I’ll be honest in saying, I don’t know what exactly he said, but like I mentioned the discipline part is part of a wholistic approach in getting football results,” he added.

“It’s not just about training and playing, even the mental aspect and nutrition – everything, even strength and conditioning, all goes hand-in-hand to get results, it’s not just one thing that will get us winning this AFCON in Morocco,” Bartlett concluded.