Why Mbekezeli Mbokazi will miss Amajita’s U20 World Cup campaign

Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s growing stature in South African football has been confirmed after Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos asked for the teen sensation to be left out of the Amajita squad for the upcoming Under-20 World Cup.

Instead, Mbokazi will be available for the senior team as they take on Zimbabwe and Rwanda in two World Cup qualifiers next month.

Amajita head coach Raymond Mdaka told journalists that he took the decision to leave out the 19-year-old Orlando Pirates vice-captain after a conversation with Broos.

"Broos wants to use him to qualify [for the World Cup], but the qualifiers are coming around the 9th [of October], and we will be in Chile. It’s something I will not comment further on, but there was an agreement or a request to say, ‘let’s allow him to go to Bafana’," said Mdaka, as quoted by KickOff.

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Mbokazi, who made his senior club debut at the beginning of this year, has taken to international football like a duck to water. In just his third match for the senior national team, the youngster was awarded the man-of-the-match award for his role in the 1-1 draw against Nigeria in Bloemfontein.

Now, with Bafana Bafana’s bid to qualify for the World Cup set to hit a few unexpected speed bumps, it’s understandable why Broos would want to make sure one of the country’s best defenders is available for selection.

This will not be the first time Mbokazi has been pulled from the Amajita side. Earlier this year, he was left out of their successful Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations squad after becoming an important player for his club.

Without Mbokazi in the squad, Amajita will need to adapt quickly as they face France, the United States, and New Caledonia in Group E of the Under-20 World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday next week.

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