Kaizer Chiefs' Thabo Cele breaks silence following continued Amakhosi snub for Bafana Bafana duties - 'Maybe Hugo Broos has a point'

Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Thabo Cele has finally broken his silence over the continued snub by Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos.

Cele said that for any player from Amakhosi to be involved for Bafana, the club must win titles, and players must keep working hard.

“Maybe he [Broos] has a point because we are a big club that has not been winning,” Cele said, as quoted by Times Live.

“In small clubs, there are not many expectations, and Broos looks at individuals only. We strive to be at the right level. The team has to win something, and we just have to continue working hard."

Cele also spoke about his time at Amakhosi and their Nedbank Cup success that halted a long trophyless period at the club.

“Whatever happened in the short time, I'm grateful for the people I work with because everyone at the club is involved, and the six months I have been with the club have been a blessing to me," he added.

“For me to come back to Chiefs, the mission was to help the club win trophies because we know this is the biggest club in the country, though we've not been doing well in winning things. But we know this is a team that must win trophies," Cele continued.

“We are still on that mission, and I'm happy we won the trophy after 10 years. It is positive and encourages us to know we can challenge for more things next season.”

Chiefs players were snubbed for recent friendly games against Tanzania and Mozambique. Even though Yusuf Maart, Mduduzi Shabalala, and Bruce Bvuma had been named in the provisional squad, they were dropped when the squad was trimmed.

For the March 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Broos did not involve any player from Amakhosi. The Belgian tactician has always defended his decision not to pick a player from the Naturena club.

Cele and his teammates at Amakhosi will wait and see whether Broos will name them for the crucial remaining qualifiers.

Bafana will be in action in September and October, hoping to conclude the campaign and seal a ticket to the global showpiece next year.

There is a chance for Chiefs' players to be involved for the national side, given that Bafana have qualified for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) that will be hosted in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania in August.