‘We don’t blame anyone’ – Ricardo Goss Defends Hugo Broos

Bafana Bafana suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to co-hosts Mexico in their Group A opener at the Azteca Stadium, a result that sparked criticism from fans, pundits and former players back home. Much of the scrutiny centered on Broos’ cautious tactical approach and the team’s overall performance.

Speaking from Bafana’s camp ahead of Thursday’s crucial Group A clash against Czechia in Atlanta, Goss admitted he was hurt by the negative reaction directed at both the players and coaching staff.

“It’s just disappointing that there are people who have been in the game and the comments that they give,” said Goss.

“For some, they are people who you played with and you don’t expect people who you were with to speak so much negative stuff.”

The goalkeeper suggested that some of the criticism may stem from frustration among former players who never had the opportunity to feature on football’s biggest stage.

“It is everyone’s dream to be here at the World Cup, maybe in a way they also wanted to be here. But we are a positive bunch.”

Goss was equally adamant that Broos deserves greater appreciation for the progress he has made since taking charge of the national team.

“It’s unfortunate that we aren’t always realistic as South Africans,” he said.

“When you look at the disparity against a Mexican team ranked 15th or 16th in the world, the difference is clear. The criticism directed at the coach is unfair.”

The 30-year-old goalkeeper pointed to Broos’ achievements, highlighting South Africa’s qualification for the World Cup and their third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

“If you look at the coach’s tenure, I think his progress has been phenomenal – something we haven’t seen in a while,” Goss continued.

“He’s helped us qualify for the World Cup and secured a bronze medal. The criticism he has been receiving is simply unjust.”

Despite the setback against Mexico, Goss believes Bafana can once again show resilience, drawing inspiration from their AFCON campaign in Ivory Coast. South Africa bounced back from a 2-0 opening defeat to Mali to eventually claim bronze.

“We need to have that mentality that we can bounce back,” he said. “If we do that, I think we can get out of the group.”

Goss also stressed that the squad remains united despite the disappointment of the opening defeat, which included an error in the build-up to Mexico’s first goal.

“We support each other, we don’t blame anyone and we are a team,” he explained.

“You can see the team vibe is back after the two days we had after the game and we are happy and excited to go again.”

With group-stage matches against Czechia and Spain still to come, Goss insists Bafana remain firmly focused on reaching the knockout stages and silencing their doubters.

“The way we started the tournament was not according to plan, but we still have two games to get out of the group,” he said.

Bafana have now turned their attention to Atlanta, where victory against Czechia would breathe new life into their World Cup hopes and further vindicate the faith they continue to place in Broos and his methods.