Following Bafana Bafana’s loss to Rwanda, coach Hugo Broos of Bafana Bafana directed criticism at CAF and FIFA over the unacceptable synthetic pitch conditions. He described the waterlogged surface at Huye Stadium as “very, very bad.”
Broos argued an international match should never be played on such a substandard field, posing real hurdles for players. South Africa fell 2-0 as their 12-game unbeaten streak ended.
“When you look at the first 20 minutes. It’s unbelievable that the qualifier for a World Cup is played on such a pitch,” Broos said.
While refusing to blame the result solely on pitch issues, Broos called for football governing bodies to enforce stricter quality standards regarding venues.
“Expecting teams to travel three hours from the airport was also unacceptable. As 2026 World Cup qualifiers, these matches demand professional conditions,” Broos asserted.
Though admitting defeat hurts, he believes certain basic requirements weren’t met.
“This pitch is not for professional football. You don’t let opponents travel from the airport to the final destination for three hours. This is only the remark I’m making. And it has nothing to do with the loss.”
By speaking out, Broos hopes to prompt ways of improving the quality and accessibility of venues for critical national team games. He says setbacks such as these ones cannot continue as the calibre of African football grows.
Main image: iDiski Times
