Hugo Broos has admitted to shielding his players from public criticism — even if that meant stretching the truth — as Bafana Bafana prepare for what amounts to a 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout clash against Czechia on Thursday.
South Africa’s World Cup campaign is already at a crossroads. The Mexico game fell apart as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both sent off, leaving Bafana Bafana to play out a 2-0 loss with nine men.
Both players are suspended for Thursday’s match, leaving Broos with serious personnel headaches heading into a game he simply cannot afford to lose.
The Belgian tactician was candid in his pre-match press conference, addressing the fallout from the Mexico defeat with a degree of disarming honesty.
He also opened up about the delicate balance between accountability and protecting his players from the public glare.
“The mistakes we made in the first game… some people said the coach is too soft on his players but I don’t blame players in front of the camera, sometimes you have to lie a bit as a coach, and that’s what I did.
“We know what went wrong against Mexico and we will try to improve that tomorrow, we can improve, especially with the ball — and then we can win the game.”
Speaking after the defeat to Mexico, Broos praised his team’s defensive display but acknowledged that their attacking play fell below the required standard, saying the organisation was perfect defensively but that offensively, the team needed to improve; particularly around the last pass and the movement of players off the ball.
The stakes could hardly be higher for both sides. Both teams lost their Group A openers, so the loser on Thursday almost certainly heads home after two games.
Czechia have problems of their own, having lost their opening match 2-1 to South Korea in Monterrey, meaning a win in Atlanta is also top of their agenda to stay in contention for the knockouts.
Broos will be forced into tactical changes beyond simply covering the suspended duo. He set up in a 5-3-2 against Mexico but is expected to go bolder here, with Relebohile Mofokeng likely to come in as a replacement for the suspended Zwane, while Thalante Mbatha could be called upon in Sithole’s absence.
Teboho Mokoena and Nkosinathi Sibisi will face Czechia carrying cautions, adding another layer of anxiety for a team that cannot afford further disciplinary trouble.
Broos had vowed after the Mexico defeat that the squad would use the time between matches wisely, insisting that professionals should be able to recuperate within seven days and that training from the Saturday and Sunday would focus specifically on improving the team’s offensive game.
Despite all the turbulence, there are reasons for Bafana Bafana to believe. South Africa have lost just one of their last four World Cup matches against European opposition — a 3-2 defeat to Spain in 2002 — while Czechia lost their only previous World Cup game against African opposition, going down 2-0 to Ghana in 2006.
In a quirky historical footnote, this will be the first match in World Cup history to feature two head coaches both aged over 70, with Czechia’s Miroslav Koubek (74 years, 290 days) and Broos (74 years, 69 days) making the occasion one for the record books — regardless of the result.
Kick-off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is on Thursday afternoon, 18:00 (SAST).