'This is nonsense' – Hugo Broos still not happy with Bloemfontein pitch ahead of Nigeria clash
Not happy: Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has once again claimed he's not happy with the quality of the Free State Stadium ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Nigeria on Tuesday evening. Photo: Itumeleng English/Independent Media
Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Media
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has once again reiterated that he is still not happy with SAFA’s decision to take their crucial World Cup qualifier against Nigeria to Bloemfontein.
Before last week’s clash against Lesotho – which Bafana won 3-0 – Broos made it known he wasn’t happy with the quality of the Free State Stadium pitch, which is mainly used as a rugby stadium. SAFA, of course, didn’t have a say on the venue as the Mountain Kingdom was designated as the home side.
However, SAFA decided that the team would remain in Bloemfontein for their second qualifier against the Nigerians, much to the Belgian’s ire.
“I said this already before; I’m not happy with the pitch either, and there were people who were blaming me, saying that I didn’t want to play here,” said Broos, as quoted by iDiski Times.
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“This is stupid. But the pitch is not what we want to have, and it’s true all the qualifiers we played were on very good pitches. Okay, this one is not so good. There is no reason why we are playing here against Nigeria because the pitch is not good. This is nonsense. We’d have also liked to have a very good pitch before.”
With three qualifiers remaining, Bafana Bafana’s fate ahead of next year’s World Cup in North America remains very much in their own hands.
Broos and his men can book their place as early as Tuesday if they can beat Nigeria, and Benin fail to pick up maximum points from their game against Lesotho.
There is also the small matter of the controversy surrounding midfielder Teboho Mokoena. However, after a recent social media post by governing body FIFA, it seems to have been resolved.
Ahead of Tuesday’s encounter, FIFA posted on X: “Two more teams could secure FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification today. Egypt will qualify if they beat Burkina Faso, while South Africa will qualify if they beat Nigeria, and Benin fail to beat Lesotho.”
IOL Sport