Innocent Maela adamant ex-Orlando Pirates teammate Thembinkosi Lorch 'absolutely deserves' Bafana Bafana chance since he is among the best

Thembinkosi Lorch has been exceptional in North Africa for Wydad Athletic Club across all competitions, assisting and scoring vital goals for his Botola Pro League club.

For instance, he has scored five goals in the nine matches played for the club in all tournaments in the ongoing 2025/26 edition. 

However, he has not made the Bafana Bafana national team squad that will play Zambia in the international friendly game set for Saturday.

“You have to make choices. Lorch was once with us, I think two years ago, when we played in Morocco, and he was playing very good at Pirates at that moment,” he told the media.

“His performance was not good. Then I followed him, he played, then he didn’t play. At Pirates, he dropped out of the team, and then he went to Sundowns because Rulani wanted him.

"But after a few months, he didn’t play anymore. Ok, now he’s playing good in Morocco, but you also have to look at his age. This is not the future, I’m very sorry, this is not the future," Broos concluded.

This has been a hot topic in Mzansi for the better part of a month. 

Former Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela insists Nyoso is the best teammate he has played with. He has further stated he is not surprised by what Lorch is doing in Morocco. 

“Thembinkosi Lorch, easy, [is the best player to play alongside at Bucs]," he said on Mike Morton Speaks football podcast.

“Only because when I joined the club, I think he was also on loan a bit, and then he came back. 

"When I joined the club, we were fairly, you know, young in the team, and I saw his development, and I saw him winning the footballer of the year, and I saw what it took, you know, for him to reach that space.

“So, I mean, you can see the things that he’s doing now there at Wydad. He’s a top, top talent, and it was a privilege for me to play alongside him. I have a few [others] also, but I mean, if I have to choose one, it will be Lorch easily," Maela added.

Maela has further stated that Lorch should be part of the Bafana Bafana team for the forthcoming international friendly assignment. He, nevertheless, insists that it is Hugo Broos' decision, hinting he doesn't want to delve more into the topic. 

"I worked with Coach Hugo Broos; I know how he does things. I know how you know, he prefers dealing with these things," the 33-year-old continued.

"If it were me personally, I’d want the best players in our country representing us, but it’s not up to me. Obviously, I would love to have our best players representing us.

"Hopefully, he goes, we don’t know. Does he deserve it? Maybe that’s the question. Does he deserve it? Absolutely, yes. Will the coach take him? We don’t know. Regardless of what happens, we still continue supporting the team," he concluded.

In Morocco, Lorch has a massive assignment alongside his teammates to deliver the Botola Pro League and make a statement in the CAF Confederation Cup, where they are already in the Group Stage.

Currently, Wydad Casablanca are top of the table with 20 points from eight games, two more than second-placed AS FAR Rabat and four ahead of Maghreb Fez, who are third.

If he delivers, Broos might consider having him for the 2026 FFA World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.