South Africa coach tells opposition to ‘keep quiet’ ahead of World Cup second leg | World Cup 2026 news

“I don’t listen to the rubbish on the television,” said Hugo Broos ahead of Bafana Bafana’s match against Czechia.

South Africa coach Hugo Broos has told critics of last weekend’s World Cup opener to “shut up” and insisted he will continue to do what he wants to do in his team’s preparations. Group A is against Czechia.

There was an outcry in South Africa when ⁠Broos took an unusual defensive approach in the tournament opener against Mexico last Thursday, which his team they lost 2-0 without creating any real opportunity for them.

Bafana Bafana, as the South African team is known, ended up with nine men, and ⁠—two players released in the second half, and left little impression.

“I have been a teacher for 40 years, and I know that it is part of the job where you will be criticized. So at the moment, I am criticized, but people should know … and for those who still do not know … “I do this in my own way,” said Broos in a press conference on Wednesday.

“I don’t listen to the rubbish of social media. I don’t listen to people who consider themselves too important to criticize the team. When I look back at what they have achieved in the past, I think it should be better for them to close,” he said about former professional players.

“I know what went wrong with Mexico. The players know, and that is the most important thing, and for the rest, I will do my best,” Broos repeated.

The veteran Belgian coach said it was important for South Africa to win on Thursday in Atlanta to have any chance of progressing. The Czechs also lost their first Group A game in South Korea last week.

“I think things are good, if we don’t win tomorrow, we play our last game against South Korea for nothing.

“This is what we have to avoid. We know the mistakes we made in the first games, and some people said that the coach is too soft on his players, but I don’t like to blame my players in front of the camera. So, sometimes you have to lie a little as a coach.”

Broos said after the Mexico game that he felt his team could gain confidence after the game, which also led to derision among some South African supporters.

“We know what went wrong in the game against Mexico, and we will try to fix it tomorrow, but we can improve if we have the ball,” he added, hinting at the possibility of a different approach on Thursday.