Loquacious sports minister Gayton McKenzie has slammed Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos for saying the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco lacked vibe, labelling the edition “the best Afcon ever”.
“I was very annoyed with the coach of Bafana Bafana. I was highly annoyed, you don’t do that,” McKenzie said at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning, where he and a few fans welcomed returning Bafana from a disappointing Afcon campaign.
“You don’t go to a person’s country and insult them in their own country. Nobody should do that, it’s wrong. He [Broos] is in hotels. How does he see the vibe outside? We were on the streets and we saw the vibe. I want to apologise to the Moroccans about what Broos said.”
Broos said the Afcon in Morocco “had no vibe” ahead of SA’s last group B fixture against neighbours Zimbabwe last month, which they won 3-2 to advance to the last 16 in Marrakesh. Cameroon beat Bafana 2-1 in the round of 16 to elbow them out of the tournament.
McKenzie also lauded this Afcon as the “best ever”, saluting Morocco for organising it, as he believes it provesthe continent is ready to host global spectacles.
“Morocco was the best. I take my hat off for the Moroccans. This was the best Africa Cup of Nations ever, I can promise you that. The stadiums and everything were brilliant. They [Morocco] proved to the world Africa is ready to host global events,” McKenzie said.
By being knocked out in the last 16, SA didn’t live up to expectations, having finished third at the edition in Ivory Coast in 2024. McKenzie is of the view the fateful defeat to Cameroon was self-inflicted, as Bafana missed a few good chances inside the first 15 minutes.
“We are all gutted, but I must tell you Cameroon didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves. We should have wrapped the game up in 15 minutes. But this is sports and these things happen.”
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