Broos sounds warning to Bafana Bafana players
· The South African
Bafana Bafana wrapped up their preparations for the global tournament with the friendly encounter played behind closed doors.
Lyle Foster found the back of the net for South Africa, while Dwayne Atkins scored Jamaica’s equaliser.
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BAFANA BAFANA COACH UNHAPPY WITH DISPLAY
The result comes just days before South Africa open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign against co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City. Bafana Bafana will also take on South Korea and Czechia in Group A as they look to reach the knockout stages of the competition for the first time.
Despite avoiding defeat, Hugo Broos made it clear he was far from satisfied with what he saw from his players.
“The performance was not what I expected,” Broos told Safa.com.
The Belgian mentor said the technical team will spend the coming days reviewing the match and identifying areas that require improvement before the clash against Mexico.
“I think we have to analyse the game very well and see what was really wrong and try to make it better in the next few days so that we are ready for the first game against Mexico.”
Broos suggested he believed the team had been making encouraging progress in recent weeks but felt Saturday’s display represented a step backwards.
“I thought we were close [to getting to where I want the team], but again, it was, for me, a disappointing game this afternoon,” Broos added.
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The Bafana Bafana coach believes mentality may also have played a role in the underwhelming performance against the Reggae Boyz.
“So, yes, I have to look at what went wrong. I think it was also a matter of mentality.”
South Africa will now have only a few days to correct those shortcomings before facing one of the tournament hosts in what is expected to be a challenging opening fixture.
Broos warned that significantly higher standards will be required if Bafana Bafana are to compete successfully on the biggest stage in world football.
“We have to do more, much more, than what we did this afternoon to have good results in the World Cup in the next few weeks,” the Belgian added.
The national team travelled to North America with confidence following a series of positive performances under Broos, but the Jamaica draw has highlighted areas that still require attention before the tournament begins.
All eyes will now turn to Thursday’s encounter against Mexico, where Bafana Bafana will look to make a positive start in a group that also includes South Korea and Czechia.