Hugo Broos blamed himself and his coaching staff, the South Africa Football Association and midfielder Teboho Mokoena for the unforgettable gaffe, which has led Bafana Bafana to be docked three points by FIFA.
“People have to stop now to look for who is responsible; we all know he made a mistake. But between the first match and the second, there were 16 months; we also played AFCON”, Broos said
“Who is responsible? It’s clear, I’m responsible as the coach. My staff is responsible, the coaching staff is responsible, the player is responsible, and SAFA administration is responsible”, Broos added.
The coach urged everyone to halt the blame game and concentrate on the two games ahead, which start on Friday when they face Zimbabwe in Durban.
Group C is wide open with South Africa, Nigeria, Benin and Rwanda all having a massive chance to steal the sole slot. It was almost a done deal for Hugo Broos’ side, but a lifeline has been given to their rivals.
Every game in the group is so important to the extent that every point will be crucial for any team, albeit Zimbabwe is out of contention.
Zimbabwe v South Africa
Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana have the upper hand facing Zimbabwe because the game is being played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
Zimbabwe are the bottom-placed side and has nothing to prove.
Three points and three goals were deducted by FIFA from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho in March 2025.
The point deduction is a huge blow now for Bafana Bafana, and it must now rely on results from rivals to return to the top of the table.
Lesotho v Nigeria
Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane will host Lesotho and Nigeria on Friday. The minnows are just two points behind the star-studded Super Eagles, who must win and hope that results in the other games will favour them.
Nigeria’s disastrous 1-1 draw at home to Lesotho was always going to haunt them, and the time is now for Eric Chelles’s side to prove their mettlesome.
The Super Eagles have been poor right from the first game of the qualifiers. Nigeria are three points behind leaders Benin and second-place South Africa.
Lesotho, on the other hand, is 5th on the table with five points behind the league leaders. Their chances are so slim, but they will fight to please themselves.
With two wins from the 8 games, no one can underrate Lesotho, so Nigeria must be wary of their threat because they have nothing to lose.
Rwanda v Benin
Table-toppers Benin have crucial fixtures among all the competitors in Group C. Benin will lock horns with Rwanda in Kigali at the Stade Amahoro.
The match is a make-or-break fixture for both sides because a draw will end Rwanda’s chance, depending on the results from other games.
Benin will keep their position on top if it can win against Rwanda.
Any result aside from victory will put Gernot Rohr’s Benin under pressure.
All is set for the six teams to do battle in week 9 on Friday.
The group will not be decided on Friday as it is expected to go down to the wire.
Group I standings after matchday 8
Benin, 14 points
South Africa, 14 points
Nigeria, 11 points
Rwanda, 11 points
Lesotho, 9 points
Zimbabwe, 4 points
- Benin have a superior goal difference over South Africa.
