Former Pirates star questions Bafana coach Hugo Broos as he leaves Thapelo Morena out of the AFCON squad in Morocco

It’s been a rough week for Thapelo Morena, and honestly, you could almost feel the air get heavy the moment Bafana Bafana’s AFCON squad list dropped.

One name that many expected to spot was nowhere to be found — and that stung more for some people than others.

A Veteran Left Watching From the Sidelines

For close to ten years, Morena has been one of those players you can lean on.

Right-back? He’s there. Need him higher up the pitch? Still there.

Emergency positional shuffle? He’ll plug the gap.

He’s been that reliable, ever-present figure for both Sundowns and the national team, even during their memorable third-place run at the 2023 AFCON.

But football has a strange way of turning in a heartbeat.

A string of injuries kept him from regular minutes, and when Hugo Broos unveiled the 25-man squad heading to Morocco, Morena’s name didn’t make the cut.

Manenzhe Opens Up — “My Heart Is Sore for Morena”

Former Orlando Pirates striker Phumudzo Manenzhe didn’t hold back his feelings on the matter.

Speaking on SuperSport, he sounded like someone who had just watched a friend get left behind.

He said he couldn’t wrap his head around how a player with a decade of commitment suddenly fell out of the coach’s plans.

What seemed to trouble him most was that Broos opted for someone “on form,” despite Morena being part of the group that helped secure a World Cup berth and that historic AFCON bronze.

To Manenzhe, it felt like sweeping away years of trust with one decision.

More Than Just a Full-Back

Manenzhe’s argument didn’t stop at seniority.

He pointed out that Morena isn’t simply a defender — he’s a utility player with rare versatility.

In his words, Morena has always been the guy you could shift around the pitch when things get tricky.

To him, that alone should have made the decision harder for Broos.

After all, if a coach has worked with someone for years, isn’t that the kind of flexibility and reliability you’d want in a tournament setting?

All Eyes on 23 December

Whether fans agree with the coach or not, Bafana Bafana now move forward with the group Broos believes can deliver in Morocco.

Their AFCON opener against Angola on 23 December will be the first real test of whether leaving Morena behind was a stroke of bravery — or a costly oversight.