After Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos made an example of players who
lack discipline by dropping them from the national team, legendary former
striker Siyabonga Nomvethe has also offered his advice to the current
generation.
Although Broos did not mention names, the Belgian coach revealed during
media interviews after announcing his final 23-man squad to face Panama in
2026 FIFA World Cup warm-up friendlies that he deliberately left out some
players who did not show the right conduct as national team players.
“This is something between Helman (Mkhalele) and me. We made an evaluation
of AFCON, three or four days after coming back, and we saw things that
couldn’t happen anymore and things we knew we couldn’t change immediately,
so we dropped them,” Broos told the media.
“And we took other players. I hope the guys who are not there now are
putting themselves in front of a mirror and asking themselves why they are
no longer with the national team.”
Nomvethe, who boasts 78 caps for Bafana, has offered his advice to the
current generation, urging them to embrace discipline if they want to
prolong their careers.
“My advice to the players is simple: just be professional. Alcohol does not
run away—it won’t take you anywhere because you end up doing wrong things.
Also, they should respect their images, because there are players who are
looking up to them. They are mentors to some players,” Nomvethe said on
Ukhozi FM Prime Time Sport.
“It should not be that after working so hard and doing the right things, you
also mess up what you worked for. Also, you can’t have 10 girlfriends. Just
pick a person you know you can live with, build a family, and look after
your kids. Because some of us, while we were playing, we were able to look
after our parents, siblings, and extended family members.
“You need to focus your mind on those things, because everything you do now
is business. So you need to invest with your talent so that one day when you
retire, you can be comfortable. Because if you get a serious injury and the
doctors say you can’t play anymore, it would be the end of you. So they
should grab the opportunity of representing Bafana with both hands,”
Nomvethe added.
Bafana’s first of two friendlies against Panama takes place on Friday
evening at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
