Broos’ raw words to Lesotho & Nigeria amid Mokoena saga – ‘Win FIFA World Cup ticket on the pitch!’

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has breathed a sigh of relief after getting past Lesotho in Group C's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier played on Friday evening at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.

South Africa claimed a massive 3-0 win thanks to strikes from Mohau Nkota, Lyle Foster and Oswin Appollis. The victory took Mzansi to 16th points from the seven games they have played out of 10. 

The veteran tactician concedes it has not been an easy journey, insisting the Crocodiles and Nigeria should win on the pitch rather than depending on unfortunate incidents. The two nations have been hoping South Africa are docked three points for fielding Teboho Mokoena in the initial 2-0 win over Lesotho.

Bafana Bafana made a mistake by fielding the Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder who had received two yellow cards in the initial games. 

Win games on the pitch

“I think we deserve to win the game, and that shows again that you only win games on the pitch and not off the pitch,” Broos said in a post-match interview.

“You know, sometimes you have a bad feeling, and I have to be honest, I’ve had that bad feeling during the past days. I will not go into detail, but again, what happened in the past days is not normal. Therefore, it was so important for us to win the game today, and that’s what we did.

“Now we will see next week when we play against Nigeria, if God is with us, we can maybe qualify already next Tuesday for the World Cup, and that stays the goal for us,” Broos concluded.

Prior to playing Bafana Bafana on Tuesday, the Super Eagles will play Rwanda on Saturday in a must-win game if they are to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.