South Africa Coach Complains About Pitch Conditions Ahead of 2026 WCQ vs Super Eagles, Video
- South Africa manager Hugo Broos has publicly commented on the state of the Free State Stadium
- The Bafana Bafana beat the Crocodile of Lesotho 3-0 in Bloemfontein on Friday evening, September 5
- Nigerians have earned the Super Eagles not to fall for the antics of the Belgian coach ahead of the must-win match
Hugo Broos has lamented on the state of the Free State Stadium ahead of their match against Nigeria on Tuesday, September 9.
The Bafana Bafana recorded a convincing 3-0 win against Lesotho on the same pitch on Friday evening, September 5.
South Africa are comfortably topping the table with 16 points while the Super Eagles are in third place with 10 points after recording their second win against Rwanda.
Source: Getty Images
I am not happy - Broos
South Africa coach Hugo Broos has expressed his displeasure over the choice of stadium to host their match against Nigeria.
In a viral video on X, the 73-year-old mentioned that there are better stadia in the country that can host the caliber of match.
The former Cameroon manager said the decision to retain the stadium for the match was made by the South African Football Association, per Africa Soccer. He said:
"I said it before that I am not happy with the pitch, and there were people who blamed me for not want to play here.
"This is stup*d, but the pitch is not what we wanted to have and it's true all the qualifiers we played on very good pitches.
"This one is not so good; there is no reason why we play here against Nigeria because the pitch is not good; this is nonsense."
"We'd also like to have a very good pitch like we had before but yeah, it's not like that, and we have to do it with the pitch of tomorrow (Tuesday) and we played Friday also on this pitch and that was not our choice.
Source: Getty Images
We'll not blame the pitch for any result - Broos
Hugo Broos said his side put up an impressive performance against Lesotho on Friday, and no one blamed the bad pitch.
According to Soccer Laduma, the former Club Brugge manager said both teams will have to manage the pitch during the encounter. He said:
"It was Lesotho who was the home team but it's not that bad that I have to say. We all saw the game.
"I think on Friday, we can't really blame that is a very bad pitch. It is not what it has to be but it is for both teams the pitch is also for us.
"We have to play the game tomorrow (Tuesday), that's all."
Mixed reactions trail Broos's comments
Nigerians have urged the Super Eagles team to ignore the statement of South Africa's coach, Hugo Broos, and focus on the match. Read the below:
@Roseangel009 said:
"Just bc he knows most Super Eagles players play on a better pitch.
"May it backfire on them."
@iam_Lecumberri wrote:
"Broos complaining about the pitch, Nigeria better be ready to take advantage."
@iam_Lecumberri added:
"When coaches start blaming the pitch, you know it’s about to be a tough match."
Nigeria protest match venue vs South Africa
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are putting in place machinery to ensure the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The NFF have lodged a protest to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for a change in venue against South Africa, citing concerns over the bad state of the pitch.
Source: Legit.ng
