Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana central defender has broken his silence on the profound heartbreak of missing out on the ongoing 2025 AFCON in Morocco, watching from the sidelines as the national team prepares for a high-stakes Round of 16 encounter.
Mvala has been a key and highly reliable player for Bafana Bafana under the tutelage of Hugo Broos. The Belgian coach described Mvala as a ‘trusted soldier’ and a ‘key figure’ who consistently delivered maximum effort.
Broos used Mvala in the heart of central defence, forming an important partnership with Grant Kekana. Mvala’s immense work rate, physical presence, and leadership led to Broos saying Mvala gives “150%” every time he played.
The 31-year-old from Theunissen, Free State, was instrumental in Mzansi’s third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
He featured in all six of the team’s matches during the tournament. Despite a persistent groin injury, Mvala played four times in South Africa’s AFCON 2025 qualification run.
MOTHOBI MVALA ON MISSING AFCON 2025: ‘THESE THINGS HAPPEN’
“Unfortunately, now I am not there because of the injury,” Mvala said on the Mamelodi Sundowns TV podcast. “As much as I wanted to be there, but God decided otherwise. I just wish the boys the best of luck. I know they’re going to make the country proud.
“After the last game against Nigeria [AFCON 2023 semi-finals loss], we discussed our fate next time. We said we would come back and take this thing.
“These things happen [injuries], they can happen to anyone, so you just have to accept it and focus on your rehab. So far, I’ve seen progression. My focus is on my rehab to get better.
“I don’t want to stress myself or ask why this happened to me. When things were going well before, I didn’t question God, so I apply the same now.
“The best feeling is that I was there to help the team in the qualifying. I played a couple of games and contributed. Now my main focus is to heal and hopefully make it for the World Cup,” the Bafana Bafana veteran concluded.
In a classic clash of the titans, Bafana are set to face five-time champions Cameroon in a high-stakes AFCON Last 16 showdown at the Agdal Medina Stadium in Rabat this Sunday.
The fixture pits the 1996 champions against one of the continent’s most successful dynasties. Cameroon will be looking to channel the spirit of their previous triumphs—having lifted the trophy in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, and 2017—as they aim to dismantle a confident South African side.
The Indomitable Lions’ last continental triumph in 2017 was achieved with current Bafana mentor Broos at the helm.
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