The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has sent a heartfelt message to Orlando Pirates midfielder Sipho Mbule following his omission from the Bafana Bafana squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mbule has been left out of the World Cup preliminary squad after head coach Hugo Broos made the announcement of the team on Thursday evening.
The highly-rated midfielder’s snub from the Bafana squad has raised eyebrows after establishing himself as a key figure in the team in recent months.
Mbule has been a regular in the national team since signing with Pirates at the start of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season on a free transfer. The 28-year-old midfield maestro joined the Buccaneers after leaving Mamelodi Sundowns as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract in June 2025.
After completing a high-profile move to Pirates, Mbule became the most-talked-about player in the PSL, featuring regularly in the starting line-up in the first-half of the season under head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou.
Following his resurgent form at the Soweto giants, Mbule earned recognition from Hugo Broos, and he was part of the Bafana squad that participated in the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco. South Africa crashed out of the Nations Cup in the Round of 16 after a 2-1 defeat against Cameroon.
WHAT GAYTON MCKENZIE SAID ABOUT MBULE’S BAFANA OMISSION
After the AFCON, Mbule has struggled for regular playing minutes at Pirates in the second round of the campaign, with his club chasing the league title.
With the lack of game time at club level, the former SuperSport United midfielder has lost his place in the Bafana squad. Mbule was also left out of the team that played back-to-back friendlies against Panama last month.
The talented anchorman has since received words of encouragement from Gayton McKenzie, affirming that his chances of representing Bafana are far from over.
“A king who gave us so much, this is your moment to cook part two of your greatness. Your best years are ahead of you in football. Let the fools laugh at you, you have given us so much champ,” McKenzie said on his X account.
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