Ex-Orlando Pirates star alleges 'football politics are keeping Mabasa out of Bafana Bafana' - 'Evidence Makgopa is still young & learning but Tshegofatso works smart'

Tshegofatso Mabasa has been doing quite well for Orlando Pirates for the last two seasons across all competitions.

As a matter of fact, he won the Golden Boot in the 2023/24 Premier Soccer League campaign.

It shows the quality he has after playing in the South African top flight for a long time. 

On Tuesday, he scored his 50th goal for the Buccaneers, making him the second club's all-time top scorer, eight less than Benedict Vilakazi.

However, he has not been making the Bafana Bafana squad for recent engagements as coach Hugo Broos prefers his rivals.

According to Pirates legend Naughty Mokoena, it is politics that is keeping the towering striker from the national team.

"Football is full of politics; in the national team, we have players who are not even playing at their clubs," he told KickOff.

"Football politics are keeping Mabasa out of Bafana Bafana. Sometimes, as a player, you don’t know what else to do. You try to prove that you deserve to be there, but they always find a way to push you down.

"In a striker, all you need is goals. If you are a coach selecting non-scoring strikers while leaving out goal machines, what does that mean?

"Right now, there’s no player in the PSL who understands how to position himself inside the box like Mabasa does," Mokoena added.

"When you look at his goals, he scores them very simply and from inside the box. That's because he knows how to position himself. 

"His fellow PSL strikers often look lost inside the box during a cross.

"Hugo Broos prefers Evidence Makgopa over Mabasa because Makgopa is more flexible. But let’s be honest; he’s still young and still learning. Mabasa, on the other hand, uses his brain more and has more experience. He doesn’t just work hard; he works smart," he concluded.

Well, Bucs are currently chasing the PSL and are also in the CAF Champions League, where they will be aiming to make an impression.

This will be an opportunity for Mabasa to underline his worth, and maybe Broos will consider him for the 2025 AFCON.

Bafana Bafana will play Zimbabwe and Rwanda in the next couple of days, hoping to seal their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.