Orlando Pirates Striker Tshegofatso Mabasa Breaks Silence After Bafana Bafana Snub

• Tshegofatso Mabasa was not named in the latest South Africa squad
• The Orlando Pirates striker finished the season as the PSL top scorer
• The striker has spoken about the snub ahead of the Nedbank Cup final

When South Africa coach, Hugo Broos, announced the Bafana Bafana squad on May 15, Tshegofatso Mabasa, the DStv Premiership top scorer, was conspicuously missing.

The 2023/24 PSL Golden Boot winner has spoken about the snub for the first time ahead of a mouth-watering Nedbank Cup final against league champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Mabasa has had an incredible campaign with the Buccaneers, but that wasn't enough for him to receive a call-up from Broos ahead of crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Fans, pundits, and ex-players were baffled by his omission. The 27-year-old spent the first half of the season at Moroka Swallows on loan from Pirates. He scored six times for Swallows before returning to his parent club.

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Mabasa on Bafana Bafana snub

He scored 10 in the second half of the season to help his team secure CAF Champions League football, per Transfermarkt. He is not angry with the snub, per iDiski Times.

“In all honesty, not really [that disappointed], yes each and every player wants to play for the national team, but I believe if it’s meant to happen, it will happen, you know, at some point,” Mabasa said.

The striker used Themba Zwane's example to stress that he is not worried about missing out on Broos' squad.

“You look at Mshishi what happened with him, he wasn’t selected at all and now he’s being selected each and every camp – so for me it’s not something that I think about quite a lot, yes I’ve been doing well."

He has played 34 minutes for his country so far, and time is running out for him to get a spot. His targets are probably the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 World Cup.

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Pirates legend reacts to Mabasa snub

Sports Brief earlier reported on former Pirates star, Andries Sebola, expressing his disappointment in Mabasa's omission.

Sebola believes the Pirates star should've been included in the preliminary squad, as players like Evidence Makgopa were also included.