South Africa head coach Hugo Broos addressed his critics and those calling for his resignation after Bafana Bafana’s draw against Czechia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A on Thursday at Atlanta Stadium.
Czechia took the lead through Michal Sadílek in the sixth minute before Teboho Mokoena equalised from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving Bafana with one point from two matches and fourth in Group A standings.
Broos reacted to heavy criticism following the earlier defeat to Mexico by reminding people of the major progress made over the past five years and brushing off calls for his resignation.
“If you see five years ago, nobody knew Bafana Bafana, and look what we did in these five years and now the results are not what people expect,” Broos told Goal Mzansi.
“They don’t think ‘are we able’, they just expect things… and then you get the negative side of my job, the criticism, people wanting you to resign, and whatever.”
“Okay, but I’m 40 years in this job, the criticism is just water off my body. They can write and say what they want, I do what I think I need to do and today I think I did what I needed to do.”
Bafana must beat South Korea on June 25 in their final Group A fixture to remain in contention for the knockout stage.
A victory would take them to four points, which — combined with a Mexico win over Czechia or a favourable goal-difference outcome — offers a strong chance of finishing second in the group or advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.
