Bafana coach Broos on Mbokazi’s red card

Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s late red card was the kind of mistake a young player will make, coach Hugo Broos said after his team drew 0-0 against Zimbabwe at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Friday in a major blow to their 2026 World Cup qualifying chances.

The result against the last-placed team has left second-placed South Africa (15 points, +3 goal difference) needing to beat fourth-positioned Rwanda in their final Group C game at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday (6pm) and for leaders Benin (17 points, +5 difference) to lose away against third-placed Nigeria.

Rwanda (11 points) are out of the running. Bafana’s glimmer of hope stems from Nigeria (14 points) being in with a chance of qualifying (if the Super Eagles beat Benin and South Africa lose), so having everything to play for at home.

A draw for Benin against Nigeria at Uyo’s Godswill Akpabio International Stadium would leave South Africa able to draw level on points with the leaders (both would be on 18) with a win against Rwanda, but needing to win by three clear goals to surpass Benin’s goal difference.

Broos stressed 19-year-old Orlando Pirates defensive prodigy Mbokazi made a mistake that was understandable for a youthful player.

Having been booked for an infringement on the same player two minutes earlier, Mbokazi reacted to being harassed by substitute Tawanda Maswanhise by pushing the Scottish-based forward to the ground. Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal produced a second yellow card for the Bucs player seven minutes into added time.

Given how late it came, the dismissal had no impact on the result but does leave Mbokazi suspended for the huge last clash against Rwanda.

Broos defended the young player for his rash moment.

“It also shows the mentality of ‘Mboki’ a little bit. He got frustrated and he knew with the result that we would be in trouble,” the coach said.

“So twice he had the aggression of a Zimbabwean player making him nervous and he did something a young player does. So I don’t blame him for that.

“It’s something he has to learn, he’s still 19 – this guy wants to win and you see that in his way of playing.

“When the guy from Zimbabwe went so aggressively at him twice, you can’t accept it but you can understand it happens. That red card was not the reason we didn’t win the game tonight.”

The dismissal was a disappointing culmination to a game in which the bottom-placed side, reduced to 10 men when Knowledge Musona saw red in the 63rd, frustrated their neighbours as Mohau Nkota and Lyle Foster also hit the woodwork for Bafana.