“I am not a racist. I am not a sexist.”
Hugo Broos may have been reading from a prepared statement, but Bafana Bafana’s Belgian head coach sounded sincere as he apologised for remarks he made last week while venting his frustration over Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s late arrival at camp.
Sitting in the same chair he occupied a week earlier, the septuagenarian — resplendent in black, round-rimmed reading glasses — took his time opening his laptop, creating an air of anticipation in the compact auditorium at the University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre that could almost be cut with a knife.
The SAFA media officer laid down the ground rules, stating that no questions would be allowed once the coach had addressed the matter that had placed the nation in an uproar, to the extent that political parties had reported Broos to the Human Rights Commission.
Broos’ statement that, “Mbokazi is a black guy but when he comes out of my room he will be a white guy,” was widely viewed as racist, while his reference to the defender’s agents as “a nice little woman who thinks she knows football” was deemed sexist in many quarters.
The coach, who has been credited with turning Bafana’s fortunes around, appeared visibly taken aback by the backlash and duly apologised.
“I agree that my choice of words was not the right one and I want to apologise for that. I never wanted to make a racist or sexist comment. I am neither a racist nor a sexist,” Broos said.
He explained that his comments stemmed from concern for a player with a promising future whom he feared could be heading down the wrong path.
“When Mbokazi arrived a little too late at the Bafana camp for the AFCON preparations, I was incredibly angry — even more so when some people sent me a strange story to justify his lateness. I let my fatherly side get the better of me because I saw things could go wrong.
“It would be terrible if Mbokazi did not pursue the career he is destined for due to a lack of proper guidance, which he needs as an inexperienced player.”
Broos added that his long career working across the African continent should speak for itself.
“I am deeply hurt by what happened in the past week. The worst part is that my family — my wife, my children and my grandchildren — have suffered. I have played with people of colour, worked with them in Algeria and Cameroon, and now for the past four years in South Africa.
“You can ask any of them what kind of man I am. Some will say he’s a bad coach, others will say a good coach. But no one will call me a racist.”
The silver-haired coach also elaborated on his fears that Mbokazi could be influenced in the wrong direction.
“When Mbokazi was introduced months ago at Pirates, we immediately saw his talent. He was rewarded with a call-up to Bafana and became a regular.
“His life changed suddenly and he had many friends. Some meant well, but others wanted to take advantage.
“You need guidance from people to help prevent wrong decisions. The red card he received for angrily lashing out at an opponent made me suspect that the guidance he was getting was not sufficient, and that we must protect him from potential sanctions,” Broos said.
Bafana Bafana are scheduled to play an official friendly on Tuesday at Dobsonville Stadium (kick-off 4pm), in preparation for their Africa Cup of Nations 2025 campaign. That tournament starts this weekend, with Bafana facing Angola in their opening match next week.
