Broos Hails Mvala, Explains How Bathusi Convinced Him For Debut

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has hailed the Mothobi Mvala as an exemplary figure in the squad and says Bathusi Aubaas proved his worth for a debut against Morocco.

Mvala, 29, came under major scrutiny from the public after his own goal that dumped Mamelodi Sundowns out of the CAF Champions League semi-final against Wydad AC.

But the towering midfielder-cum-defender silenced his critics with an impressive display against North African giants Morocco in the 2-1 win at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Bafana, ranked 66th, but the side ranked 11th in the world and the defensive organisation was one of the major positives in a fluid impressive display overall.

“You know you can always count on Mothobi, he is a guy with fantastic mentality, he’s maybe not the best player in the team but with such a mentality, he’s an example for everyone,” Broos said in the post-match press conference at FNB Stadium.

“I said before he was playing in the midfield, for me it was a guy for which I always counted on and now I’m playing him in defence and it’s just the same, you know what you have with him, and with Siyanda [Xulu], it’s a good [partnership] there and the rest of defence.

“But Mothobi is Mothobi, don’t ask him for technically fantastic things, but he has the mentality, he’s a real example for everyone in the team.”

TS Galaxy star Aubaas made a surprise debut, and his selection was questioned as the likes of Miguel Timm were omitted from the squad, while Njabulo Blom and Luke Le Roux were benched, as the 28-year-old was the preferred midfield partner for Teboho Mokoena.

“Bathusi, you know I’m a coach who gives chances to [inexperienced] players when they are ready for it, and I saw what I saw in training, on Bathusi, I saw it in his team [TS Galaxy], you see the qualities, he’s a powerful player,” Broos explained.

“And that is very useful in midfield, but again congratulations on our performance, because it was his first [cap] against an opponent like Morocco, great performance, really I’m [thrilled] with it.”

South Africa moved to the summit of Group K with their first win in over two decades against the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists.