Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has apologised for his remarks that he believes were grossly misconstrued by some football followers in the past week.
Broos addressed the media at the Tuks High Performance in Pretoria before a Bafana training session ahead of the friendly match against Ghana on Tuesday afternoon.
The friendly international against the Black Stars will take place at the Dobsonville Stadium at 4pm.
The Belgium-born coach has received support from Bafana captain Ronwen Williams and the rest of the team. The South African Football Association is also rallying behind the coach and said that his comments were misinterpreted by the public.
The claims surfaced after Broos lambasted defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for arriving a day late in camp after he missed his flight from Durban to Johannesburg.
Mbokazi’s agent hammered
The coach also hammered Mbokazi’s agent, Basia Michaels, for taking the player to Major League Soccer in the US instead of waiting for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and the 2026 World Cup so that they can get a deal in a better league in Europe.
Broos is accused on two fronts: for his statement that Mbokazi will enter his meeting black and come out white: “I can assure you: he [Mbokazi] is a black guy, but he will get out of my room as a white guy,” Broos said last week.
Broos also took a pot shot at Michaels, making comments that appeared to be misogynistic.
“I know what happened; a woman who is his agent and thinks she knows football is doing what many agents are doing and thinking about how much they can get.
“If she is a little bit clever, she knows there is Afcon, and next year it’s the World Cup, and that there will be other teams, better for his career, to go to and not to Chicago.”
Minister of Sport Gayton McKenzie has entered the fray and said he wants an explanation, while the United Democratic Movement has lodged a formal complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission.
I am not racist or sexist
Said Broos: “I agree that my choice of words was not the right one, and I want to apologise for that. I never wanted to make a racist or sexist remark. I am neither a racist nor a sexist.
“Mbokazi arrived slightly late at the Bafana camp for the Afcon preparations. Â I was incredibly angry and even more so when some people sent me a strange story to justify his lateness.
“I let my fatherly side get the better of me because I saw things could go wrong, and it would not be bad if Mbokazi did not pursue the career he is destined for due to a lack of proper guidance, a guidance he needs as an inexperienced player.
The events of the past week have deeply hurt me. The worst part is that my family, my wife, my children, and my grandchildren have suffered.
“I’ve played with people of colour and worked with them in Algeria and Cameroon and now for the past four years in South Africa. You can ask any of them what kind of man I am.
“Some will say he’s a bad coach; others will say he’s a good coach. But no one will call me a racist.”
Mixing with wrong crowd
The coach explained further that some people want to take advantage of Mbokazi: “When Mbokazi was introduced months ago at Pirates, we immediately saw his talent, and he was rewarded with a call-up to Bafana and became a regular. His life changed suddenly, and he had many friends.
Some meant well, but others wanted to take advantage. You need guidance from people on how to prevent yourself from making wrong decisions.
The red card (Mbokazi got for angrily lashing out at an opponent) made me suspect that the guidance he was getting was not sufficient and that we must protect him from potential sanctions, Broos added.
