The South African Football Association (SAFA) has responded to recent comments made by coach Hugo Broos, which upset some fans.
The Belgian coach expressed his displeasure over defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi returning to camp late and told the media that, during their upcoming meeting,
Mbokazi would ‘turn white’ from fear. Broos also criticised the former Orlando Pirates captain’s decision to move to Chicago.
Additionally, he referred to agent Basia Michaels as a ‘little girl who thinks she knows football,’ which led to backlash from the United Democratic Movement (UDM).
In a statement, SAFA defended Broos, explaining that he was frustrated with what he described as Mbokazi’s “premature push.”
“There has moved to address growing misconceptions in the media suggesting that Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos is racist and sexist,” the association said in a statement.
“The claims surfaced after Broos criticised the professional conduct of a senior national team player and expressed frustration over what he deemed as the player’s agent premature push for his move overseas. His remarks, made during a recent press conference ahead of the team’s preparations for the AFCON, were subsequently misconstrued.”
SAFA maintained that Broos’s strongly worded comments, aimed purely at football matters, were misinterpreted and later amplified into unfounded character accusations.
“It is unfortunate that my strong rebuke of the player’s conduct and subsequent comments were misinterpreted as racism and sexism. I distance myself from any accusation of racism and sexism,” said Broos.
Safa defends Broos
“It is mind-boggling that the coach would be described in such a manner towards a player he has consistently supported since selecting him for the first time a few months ago,” the association added.
“The association further clarified that Broos’s remarks regarding the player’s agent were intended to underscore the importance of football agents prioritising players’ welfare and long-term development over short-term financial gain.
“SAFA noted that a language barrier contributed to the coach’s frustrations not being fully or clearly conveyed during the interview, leading to misunderstandings about his intent.”
Safa maintained that the players and the staff are all fully behind Hugo Broos ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.