Nelson Dladla says Orlando Pirates overreacted by letting Sipho Mbule go and believes the midfielder could end up hurting them later. He said the club should have helped the player deal with whatever has been affecting his game on the pitch instead of cutting him loose.
The criticism has landed now because Mbule remains a name that draws attention far beyond club football. Known for his exceptional vision, creativity and the magical control he brings to midfield, the player nicknamed Master Chef has also been picked by Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos for the final four 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Dladla did not hide how strongly he feels about the decision. The former Kaizer Chiefs forward, who spent 12 years at the club, made 408 appearances and scored 125 goals, said football teams have what they need to keep players in good mental and physical shape. In his view, a troublesome player should be taken for counselling, with psychologists used to get to the root of the problem and offer support before a break is considered.
He also made the point that dropping Mbule will not solve anything beyond the pitch. If the player is wayward, Dladla said, the club should help him because he is an asset. He added that clubs value talent too highly to walk away from it without first doing everything possible to help a player overcome what affects his game.
The warning carries extra weight because Dladla linked Mbule’s case to another former Pirates player, Ndabayithethwa Ndlondlo. He pointed out that Ndlondlo also left after Pirates chose not to renew his contract, then returned to Marumo Gallants as a free agent. In Dladla’s view, that is exactly the kind of exit that can come back to haunt a club when it later faces the same player.
That is why he said Mbule would be a thorn in Pirates’ flesh. The club may think it has solved a problem by moving on, but Dladla’s argument is that the deeper issue has not gone anywhere if the player is still fighting personal battles. For Pirates, the next move is not clear, and neither is whether they will answer a criticism that goes to the heart of how a big club handles talent, discipline and support.
