Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has responded to Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos over his sentiments regarding the limited playing time of Khuliso Mudau and Teboho Mokoena.
Broos expressed his surprise at how Mudau and Mokoena have been reduced to bit-part players at Sundowns despite their impressive performances for the club and national team in the recent past.
The Bafana coach went ahead to start the two in South Africa’s twin 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Congo, Mokoena scoring twice in the first leg, which they won 5-0, with Broos lauding him for making a statement to the Sundowns coach.
Mngqithi tells Broos to manage his house
Mngqithi is, however, not taking the criticism lightly, and feels Broos stepped out of his lane as he should respect other coaches’ decisions just like they do when he makes his selections.
“Broos is just talking; he must manage his house and allow me to manage my house. Nobody tells him who to play on his team, and I cannot be told who to play on my team,” Mngqithi fired back during a media briefing ahead of Sundowns’ Carling Knockout tie against Golden Arrows.
“The truth is we all know the quality of the players [Mudau and Mokoena], and we don’t have a problem with them. We resolved the minor issues we had, but each man for his family.
Will Mudau & Mokoena return to the squad?
“He [Broos] must take care of his space; nobody says anything when he plays eight defenders; we keep quiet because I respect him as a coach. He has done well for the country, and everyone is excited that he brought a bronze medal [from AFCON 2023].
“So, he must understand that we have a responsibility to manage our own squads just like he’s managing his own squad.
“The best thing that could ever happen is for him to call me so we can talk about our situations. I never said, why do you select that player? And I don’t expect another coach to do that with me.”
Following their impressive performances for the national team, Mngqithi will be under pressure from fans to include Mudau and Mokoena in the squad after he snubbed them in their five matches leading up to the international break.
