Nasreddine Nabi responds to Hugo Broos after Kaizer Chiefs players Bafana Bafana snub - 'We have to respect the choices and the decisions of the national team coach'

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has called for Hugo Broos respect despite the Bafana Bafana tactician snubbing his players ahead of the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Broos named his final squad that will take on Lesotho and Benin in the March World Cup qualifiers, and none of the Chiefs players featured.

Explaining his snub for the Chiefs' players, Broos said Amakhosi are struggling. Indeed, they are eighth in the league, with just 29 points from 22 games, and on Sunday suffered another big setback after they were beaten 2-0 by struggling Richards Bay.

Nabi, in his response, called for respect for Broos and said he hopes that Amakhosi players will get national team call-ups in the future.

“We have to respect the choices and the decisions of the national team coach because he’s the one who makes the choices, and that doesn’t take away our feeling that Cele is a very good player,” Nabi said as quoted by FARPost.

“And we hope that in the future, he will go back to the national team. We know that by working hard, that time will come," the former Yanga SC head coach added.

Broos' squad is dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns, with nine players from the reigning Premier Soccer League champions in the Bafana team.

Ronwen Williams, Khuliso Mudau, Aubrey Modiba, Grant Kekana, Teboho Mokoena, Jayden Adams, Bathusi Aubaas, Thapelo Morena, and Iqraam Rayners are the Masandawana stars who made the cut.

Orlando Pirates, Chiefs' Soweto arch-rivals, have Nkosinathi Sibisi, Thalente Mbatha, and Relebohile Mofokeng in the Bafana squad.

Chiefs' Rushwin Dortley, who was in the preliminary squad, is injured and recently underwent surgery on his knee.

The ball is now in the Chiefs players' court; they have to pull up their socks and impress Broos.

With the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals coming up between December 2025 and January 2026, Chiefs players must be motivated to fight hard and make sure they are part of the Bafana squad that will head to Morocco.