Manqoba Mngqithi’s agent, Mike Makaab, has defended the Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach and criticised Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos for his comments about players Teboho Mokoena and Khuliso Mudau.
Mokoena and Mudau have been frozen out of Sundowns with an alleged breakdown of their relationship with coach Mngqithi said to be the cause.
The two stars are a crucial part of Broos’ Bafana side, and they gave a stellar performance in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier in Gqeberha on Friday.
Mokoena scored a brace as Bafana won 5-0 and Broos wasted no time to say the player was motivated to prove Mngqithi wrong.
“I know today (on Friday) he was extra motivated to show his Sundowns coach that it was not right to put him on the bench or not to select him. This is what I like, not words, no talking but just the performance,” Broos said.
“When I said a few days ago that I have to accept and respect the decision (by Sundowns coach) but I can’t agree. I think today he (Mokoena) proved why I can’t agree that he is not playing at Sundowns,” Broos said.
“But OK, this is not our problem. Also, for Khuliso I put my whole confidence in those players because I know what they (are capable of). I know how good and important they are for the team.
“I just pray to God that maybe at Sundowns they change their minds, and the guys get opportunities to play again because if that situation stays for a long term, I will have to take decisions I don’t like to make. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.”
Speaking on Extra-Time on Gagasi FM, Makaab called out Broos for being out of order over his comments.
“I never discussed that sort of detail with him (Mngqithi), but what I can tell you about Manqoba, and I’ve been with him for 12 years, is that he is not a man who holds grudges,” Makaab told his co-host Simtho Dladla.
“He is not a man who has his favourites. Manqoba realises that he will be judged by one thing and one thing alone, his results.
“He has to put out the best players that he believes can deliver for him,” the agent said.
“I don’t know the reason, but there has to be a reason for him sidelining Mokoena and Mudau. You saw Mudau came on and had a fantastic period of the game when he was reintroduced into the Sundowns team.
“That shows you there’s no ill feeling between the player and the coach.
“This nonsense about the hype around the picture of Mokoena pointing himself and saying, ‘I am the man, I find absolutely laughable.’
“You know, I understand Hugo Broos’ frustration but let’s put it in another way, imagine if (Orlando Pirates coach) Jose Riveiro publicly stated that he couldn’t understand why Hugo Broos wasn’t selecting Patrick Maswanganyi on the basis of what he was achieving at club level.
“I understand that Broos needs his best players available but for him to sort of make those utterances, I think he is out of order.”
The agent, who also coached Pirates in the past years, found it unfair to point the fingers at Mngqithi as if he was running the show by himself at Sundowns.
“But he has also got Steve Komphela, he is not an island,” Makaab said.
“You’ve got Steve Steve Komphela, you’ve got the sporting director, and you’ve got the chairman of the club.
“These are the people that sit down and make these big decisions. I know the mechanics of working behind the football teams and particularly big football teams.”
🎙️“𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫”
— Extra-Time on Gagasi FM (@OnGagasifm) October 14, 2024
Mike Makaab says Hugo Broos was out of order for the comments he made about Tebogo Mokoena being left out of the Mamelodi Sundowns squad by Manqoba Mngqithi. pic.twitter.com/xJvKnxISmF
