Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos was left frustrated after his side were unable to train at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a day before they face Benin in a crunch 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Bafana arrived in Ivory Coast on Sunday evening and wanted to have their traditional matchday minus 1 training session at the match venue on Monday, however it would clash with Ivory Coast’s own qualifier against The Gambia.
- ALSO READ: Doc Reacts To Lack Of Chiefs Players In Bafana
- Broos On Mofokeng MOTM On Full Bafana Debut
As a consequence, Broos was left frustrated and expressed his feelings in the pre-match press conference.
“First of all, I have to tell you that I’m really not satisfied with the decision that we can’t have a pre-match training in the stadium where the game takes place,” Broos said, as per SAFA.com.
“I think this is a FIFA rule, that every team has the right to have a preliminary training before the game of 60 minutes in the stadium where you play, where the match takes place.
“I don’t understand. I understand it because there is another game. But this is bad when people who make the rules don’t follow the rules. Will that have an influence on the game? I don’t know.
“But I know if tomorrow after the game I’m not at the press conference, there will be a sanction. So, we have to follow the rules. Where are the rules now?
“And you will tell me, yes, that’s for both teams. I don’t think so. I think Benin has already trained in that stadium because they were here before us.
“So, it’s all nice to say, follow the rules, follow this. We have to follow everything. But we have the right to train today in the stadium where the match takes place, and we can’t. And this is not honest, and this is not correct.”
Bafana enter the game in pole position in Group C with 10 points from five games, while Benin sit in second with eight points.
