For Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos and his technical team, flying to Mexico and starting their 2026 World Cup camp without assistant coach Helman Mkhalele would have felt like travelling without their nerve centre.
Mkhalele is a very key and important member of the Bafana technical team, and Broos has previously praised the former Bafana flying winger for his contribution to the team’s success, especially after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament where they finished third in Ivory Coast.
South Africa’s World Cup squad departed for Mexico on Monday without Mkhalele, who is still sorting out his visa challenges in Johannesburg. His application has not been approved, and Safa is pushing the USA Embassy for the visa. “Midnight Express,” as the retired Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos was affectionately known, will depart at a later stage once his visa and paperwork has been sorted out and issued.
Mkhalele’s absence has surely disrupted the team’s plans, and without him in camp, Broos would feel a little amputated, almost like going to an infantry confrontation without your machine gun operator. Mkhalele is the one who assists Broos with tactics, players, communication and to understand things in the camp.
Bafana Bafana, are returning to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, finally left Johannesburg on a charter flight on Monday after securing visas for all players. The team had originally been scheduled to travel on Sunday but was forced to delay its departure because several players and staff members had not received the necessary travel documents.
Broos has sung praises for his assistant Helman Mkhalele, saying that the SA football legend is the brains behind the success of the national team. He also recommended that Safa appoints Mkhalele as his successor when Broos retires after the World Cup.
After the success of 2023 Afcon, Broos did not want to take all the credit for the team’s success, and according to him, the Mkhalele is one of the unsung heroes in the team, who contributed immensely to Bafana’s upsurge.
“Helman knows SA football two times better than I do. When I started as a coach here, I needed to get players for a friendly game – Helman chose the team because I did not know who I had to take,” Broos revealed.
“The best thing to do is for Helman to become the coach after me,” Broos told the media after the 2023 Afcon. You’ll then have a fluid succession plan. When he takes over the team, the way of working and philosophy will stay the same. There will be many African practices incorporated into the team because I am European,” added Broos at the time.
- South Africa’s Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos and his team departed for their 2026 World Cup camp in Mexico without assistant coach Helman Mkhalele due to ongoing visa issues.
- Mkhalele, a former national player highly praised by Broos, is considered the "nerve centre" of the technical team, assisting with tactics, player management, and communication.
- The team’s departure was delayed until all players and staff secured their visas, with SAFA actively working to resolve Mkhalele's visa application with the US Embassy.
- Broos credits Mkhalele as a key figure behind Bafana’s success at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, recommending him as his successor post-World Cup to maintain the team's philosophy.
- South Africa is returning to the World Cup for the first time since hosting in 2010, aiming to build on recent successes with Broos and Mkhalele’s leadership.
For Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos and his technical team, flying to Mexico and starting their 2026 World Cup camp without assistant coach Helman
Bafana Bafana, are returning to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, finally left Johannesburg on a charter flight on
Broos has sung praises for his assistant Helman
After the success of 2023 Afcon, Broos did not want to take all the credit for the team’s success, and according to him, the
“Helman knows SA football two times better than I do. When I started as a coach here, I needed to get players for a friendly game – Helman chose the team because I did not know who I had to take,” Broos revealed.
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