Bafana Bafana mentor Hugo Broos has offered an apology for his over-the-top comments last week.

Broos was under fire for lambasting defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for the latter’s late arrival to camp ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Political parties United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Afrika Mayibuye Movement accused Broos of making “racial and sexist” comments, with the former going as far as reporting him to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC).

The Belgian said of Mbokazi, “I will have a chat with him after training, and I can assure you, he’s a Black guy, and he will leave my room as a white guy.”

His employers, the South African Football Association, leapt to his defence, insisting in a statement that his remarks were “misconstrued”.

In hindsight, however, Broos has conceded that his choice of words was off the mark, especially in a country that has an apartheid past.

“I agree that my choice of words was not the right one, and I want to apologize for that,” said Broos on Monday in Johannesburg ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against Ghana.

“But I never, I repeat, I never wanted to make racist or sexist comments. I’m neither a racist nor a sexist. Thank you.”

The sexist comments were in relation to Broos’s disapproval of Mbokazi’s recent signing with Major League Soccer (MLS) side, Chicago Fire, targeting his agent Basia Michaels in saying the “little woman” was not acting in the player’s best interests.

Broos added on Monday, “I’ve played with people of colour, coached them, and worked with them in Algeria and in Cameroon and in the last four years, in South Africa. You can ask any of them what kind of man I am.

“Maybe some would say, ‘He’s a bad coach’. Maybe others would say, ‘He’s a good coach’. Maybe, they would call me ‘stubborn’, but nobody would call me a racist.”

Broos, who is Bafana Bafana’s longest-serving coach ever, will guide the team in the AFCON and next year’s FIFA World Cup before retiring.