Manqoba Mngqithi sympathises with Bafana star who was exposed against Mexico

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi has voiced strong criticism of Bafana Bafana’s performance in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Mexico, arguing that the team’s defensive setup and Sphephelo Sithole’s role left them “exposed.”

South Africa’s return to the world stage after a 16-year absence ended in a 2-0 defeat to El Tri on Thursday.

The match was further marred by red cards for both Sithole and Themba Zwane, leaving Bafana Bafana to finish with just nine players on the field.

Head coach Hugo Broos opted for a 5-3-2 formation, a tactical choice that Mngqithi, serving as a studio analyst for SABC, questioned.

Mngqithi questions Broos’ gameplan

Mngqithi argued that the system stifled the team’s natural abilities and prevented them from demonstrating their true quality.

“To be honest, I think we never came to this game to play,” Mngqithi stated on SABC TV. “We never came to this game to showcase what South Africa is capable of.”

He elaborated on the tactical shortcomings, pointing to a lack of creativity in the midfield. “Already, when you are playing with five at the back… and the three midfielders were all defensive players: Jayden Adams, Sithole, and Teboho Mokoena. And worse, Sithole is the central one of the three. That’s where we were exposed, because technically he was exposed a lot in that position.”

Mngqithi suggested that introducing more attacking players earlier could have changed the game’s outcome. He highlighted the brief but impactful appearance of substitute Oswin Appollis.

PSL coach lauds Oswin Appollis’ impact

“When you look at Appollis coming in, the few minutes that he got, he took a shot—and a good shot for that matter—when the team was actually two men down,” he noted. “So, you can imagine what could have happened if he [Broos] unleashed Appollis, Tshepang Moremi, Iqraam Rayners, or maybe Lyle Foster earlier.”

The former Mamelodi Sundowns coach pointed out that Mexico’s defence was vulnerable to pace, a weakness Bafana Bafana failed to exploit from the start.

“The picture of the game was always clear that we were going to have space behind the defence,” Mngqithi explained.

“One moment where we exposed what I spoke about, Khuliso Mudau went for [Cesar] Montes. Montes got a red card. Imagine if we had that from the beginning… because Montes, good as he is technically, is very slow.”

Bafana Bafana will look to rebound in their next match against the Czech Republic in Atlanta.