Pitso Mokoena, who oversaw Teboho Mokoena’s developmental years, has made a bold assertion regarding Teboho Mokoena’s role within the Bafana Bafana set-up ahead of the national team’s 2025 AFCON campaign.
The 2025 CAF AFCON officially sparked into life on Sunday, 21 December, as hosts Morocco secured a 2-0 opening-day victory over Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
Attention now shifts to Hugo Broos’ men, who are housed in a competitive Group B alongside Egypt, Zimbabwe, and Angola. Bafana Bafana begin their campaign on Monday, 22 December, with a high-stakes clash against Angola at the Grand Stade de Marrakech, scheduled for a 19:00 kick-off.
The national side will then move to Agadir’s Adrar Stadium for a Boxing Day showdown against continental giants Egypt on 26 December. South Africa’s group stage journey concludes on 29 December with a regional derby against Zimbabwe, as they return to Marrakech for their final push toward the knockout rounds.
‘BROOS PLANS HIS GAME AROUND TEBOHO’: PITSO MOKOENA
Pitso highlighted that Mokoena remains the cornerstone of Bafana Bafana’s tactical setup. He noted that head coach Broos continues to build his game plan around the 28-year-old’s capabilities, underscoring the midfielder’s sustained importance to the national side.
Teboho Mokoena is one of the experienced players within the Bafana AFCON squad, having earned over 50 caps for the South African national football team. In addition, he was part of the squad that won a bronze medal in the last edition of AFCON held in the Ivory Coast in 2024.
“He is going to play a big role; let’s be honest. If you watch Broos from a distance, you can see that his game is planned around Teboho,” Pitso Mokoena told FARPost.
“You can see that he is also someone who makes the national team midfield gel well in most cases.
“Recently, you can also see his game around Sipho Mbule. I think they are doing a great job. As I have said, it is a case of maintaining consistency and continuing to work hard. That’s the only advice I could give to the boy.”
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