Bafana Bafana’s Hugo Broos weighs centre-back options ahead of Egypt clash

It has become increasingly difficult to question the selection criteria of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, as time and again he proves his detractors wrong.

Broos is refreshingly honest, often the first to admit when his players are either at their best or have had an off day. He was back at it at Stade de Marrakech after the 2–1 win over Angola in their AFCON opener, saying his players “went to sleep” in the first half.

While the team could have done better to avert the situation, it was at centre-back where they largely struggled defensively. The new pairing of Siyabonga Ngezana and Mbekezeli Mbokazi failed to show chemistry and fluidity. With Bafana set to face Egypt in a top-of-the-table clash at Stade d’Agadir on Friday, all eyes will be on Broos to see whether he partners Mbokazi with someone else.

Below, we explore the options Broos has should he decide to drop Ngezana, who is making his return to the national team after some time away.

Nkosinathi Sibisi & Mbekezeli Mbokazi

Sibisi and Mbokazi have forged a strong bond at Orlando Pirates over the last few months, complementing each other well. Sibisi is a smart reader of the game who makes timely tackles. Mbokazi, meanwhile, has a swift left foot that rarely misfires, both defensively and in attack, making him close to a complete player.

Mbokazi still has room for improvement. However, with his upcoming move to Chicago Fire in the United States in January, he will want nothing more than to partner Sibisi at Bafana and help steer the team to the continental crown.

The duo is no stranger to silverware. They have won three trophies together at Pirates and played a key role in the club finishing the first half of the season top of the Betway Premiership standings.

Tylon Smith & Mbekezeli Mbokazi

Earlier this year, when coach Raymond Mdaka took the Africa Youth Championship (the junior AFCON), Pirates refused to release Mbokazi, as the tournament fell outside the FIFA calendar.

Enter AFCON 2025. Smith and Mbokazi now have a chance to make up ground should Broos decide to bring him on. Broos had stressed that Smith, and fellow youngster Shandre Campbell, were merely in camp to gain experience. However, he may need to reconsider, as Smith is one of only two right-footed centre-backs who can replace Ngezana.

Thrown into the deep end, Smith should cope. Besides winning the Youth Championship, where he was crowned Player of the Tournament, he recently competed at the U20 World Cup after joining Queens Park Rangers in winter.

Samukelo Kabini & Mbekezeli Mbokazi

Sibisi and Mbokazi’s partnership will be remembered for the incident when Mbokazi shouted at Kabini, “Qina, ndoda” (“Toughen up, man”), after the latter struggled against fierce rivals Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier.

Mbokazi’s words reflected a fearless warrior mentality. It was only his third appearance for the country, while Kabini was three years older. Since then, both players have grown significantly, making this combination a motivated and inspired pairing.

This setup might appeal to Broos, who often prefers pairing differently-footed players in central defence to give the team more variety and tactical options.