Orlando Pirates midfielder Goodman Mosele has opened up on his Bafana Bafana ordeal, when he didn’t honour his very first call-up by Hugo Broos.
Mosele, 22, didn’t arrive in camp ahead of Bafana’s double-header against Ethiopia in October last year, which had earned him public criticism by the Belgian coach.
However, Mosele and Broos had met for peace talks and he was recalled to the squad in their two recent games against France and Morocco.
The Bucs midfielder has now for the first time addressed the issue from his point of view, saying he had some personal issues at time but also insisted he has learned from the incident.
“That’s a stage that I had to go through as a footballer in order for me to grow,” Mosele said, as Sowetan Live.
“I went to the coach [Hugo Broos] to apologise and I also apologised to my club. The club and the national team all sat down and talked about it.
“It was just a phase that I was going through, but I learned the hard way.
“I’m not proud of how things happened. I have had my personal problems and people talk. You can’t stop them from talking.
“But I was going through something personal and I’m still sorry about how everything happened.”
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Broos has seemingly moved on from the incident and Mosele insists he’s grateful for the Belgian coach to give him his Bafana debut at such a young age.
“He encourages us to perform, he’s a top coach and I’m not just saying this because he picks me,” he added.
“He’s a top coach, who would have thought I would play for Bafana at the age of 22?
“There are other young players like [Evidence] Makgopa and [Athenkosi] Mcaba. He really trusts us.”
