Rulani Mokwena identifies where it went wrong for Bafana Bafana at AFCON 2025

Mc Alger coach Rulani Mokwena has highlighted what he thinks contributed to Bafana Bafana’s poor campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

South Africa were eliminated at the Round of 16 following a 2-1 loss to Cameroon to end a journey that many thought would lead them to the final, owing to their third-place finish at AFCON 2023.

Hugo Broos’ team were not as impressive as it had been hoped and conceded six goals in four matches when they had let in just three in seven during their campaign two years earlier.

Commenting on the national team’s performance, Mokwena says Bafana Bafana did not go into the tournament well prepared and focused while Broos did not select his best team.

Broos blamed for overlooking key players

“It has more to do with the preparation and selection because the games are a little bit more a reflection of holistically a lot of other things around,” Mokwena said on Sports Night Amplified with Andile Ncube.

“I believe in the national team, our best players must be available for such competitions and I don’t think we had all our best players in the best form at AFCON.

“And then I don’t think the performance of the team was a true reflection of what we are capable of doing and how we are capable of representing ourselves at AFCON.”

“When we went to the previous AFCON, we went there without expectation and without a lot of pressure but when people expect you to do well, then you need to have all your weapons and I don’t think in this competition we were prepared for it,” the 39-year-old further said.

Should Bafana coach have called Lorch and Zwane?

While not going straight, Mokkwena seems to suggest Broos should have put his differences with Thembikosi Lorch aside and included the inf-form attacker in the team and also selected Themba Zwane, who had just returned from an injury, as Morocco did with their captain Achraf Hakimi.

“One of the greatest lessons that coach Pitso [Mosimane] taught me in a football match and if you really need to succeed as a coach, there are certain times when you have to put emotions aside and make sure that you have your best available players on the pitch,” added the former Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad AC coach.

“The success of the national team and happiness of the country and millions of people is more important than certain aspects and you need your best players, sometimes you have to overlook certain aspects to make sure that the team succeeds.”

“It was the same thing with Morocco. They did this with Hakimi, he has a lot of issues happening off the pitch, well documented. He had an injury with PSG but they were able to say we need our captain, our best player in the tournament and they were able to move in this direction.”