'You have to make the right choice': Bafana coach Broos on Mofokeng's European prospects

A year ago, Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos warned of rushing Relebohile Mofokeng to find a club in Europe saying the Orlando Pirates attacker needed at least one more season in the PSL and also to gain experience playing in the Caf Champions League.

After announcing his squad to face Tanzania and Mozambique in friendlies early next month the Bafana coach was asked how he now feels about the 20-year-old who had trials with Premier League club Wolves last year.

Mofokeng is now a regular at Bafana and was included in the squad to play Tanzania and Mozambique where he will be accompanied by other promising young players from Pirates — Mbezekeli Mbokazi, Simphiwe Selepe and Mohau Nkota.

In the season that has just finished, Mofokeng played a huge role in helping Pirates reach the semifinals of the Champions League where he contributed five goals and provided three assists in the 13 games he played. 

Mofokeng's contributions in the Betway Premiership to help Pirates finish second for a third time in a row were also not bad for someone who is not an out-and-out striker.

He scored five goals and assisted eight times in 26 outings.

Mofokeng was, however, not completely happy with his goal tally, especially in the league, telling television reporters at the end of their last league game against Magesi FC on Wednesday he needs to work hard to improve his scoring ratio.

“The only advice I can give is that they have to make the right choice,” said Broos of Mofokeng's future prospects of playing in Europe.

“That's the only advice. Players like [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi have just played 15 games with Orlando Pirates. Is he going already to Europe? OK no problem. But you have to make the right choice because if you go to a club where you don't play, where there's no chance to play, I think then it's better to stay one more year with Pirates.

“That's up to the player, to his family and to his agent. I hope that the agent is only looking to the future of the player and not his wallet.”

The opportunity for South African players to go to Europe have never been as promising after the SA Under-20 were crowned as the Afcon champions in Egypt and qualified for the World Cup which will be played later this year in Chile.

But Broos said it won't help South Africa to have many players abroad if they're not at the right clubs and playing.

“Again, let's hope if they go to Europe that they play there. I'm sure even Rele, even Nkota, even all the rest that people are talking about getting them to Europe, they will progress if they play there. They will become better players. 

“We've already seen what has happened with Shandre (Campbell) in Brugge. OK, he doesn't play for the first team but he's playing in the second division in Belgium. The second team of Brugge is playing in the second division. It's a tough division, I can assure you.

“But I'm sure that he's making progress. That's the most important thing. When I say choose the good team, choose the good club, it doesn't mean directly that he will play in the first team.

“But he has to play, and he has to play at a good level. I hope that all those players if they're going to Europe, because it's not the first year that I hear many rumours about players who're going to Europe, but nobody is going. Let's hope if they're going, they're in the right club.”

Bafana will face Tanzania at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on June 6 and Mozambique at Loftus on June 10.

Bafana players will report to camp on Sunday.