South Africa coach unhappy with red card call after crushing loss vs Mexico

FIFA World Cup 2026: South Africa coach Hugo Broos accepted one red card but disputed another after Bafana Bafana's 2-0 defeat to Mexico, insisting his side played better than the scoreline suggested despite finishing the World Cup opener with nine men.

In Short

• Mexico seized Group A control with goals from Quinones and Jimenez
• Broos accepted the first dismissal but disputed South Africa's second red
• The coach said two costly turnovers allowed Mexico space to score

South Africa coach Hugo Broos questioned one of the key refereeing decisions in his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 opener after Bafana Bafana suffered a 2-0 defeat to hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca. The Belgian manager felt the second red card shown to his team was harsh, although he accepted the first dismissal during a chaotic match that featured three send-offs.

Mexico took control of Group A thanks to goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez, while South Africa ended the night with nine men. Speaking after the game, Broos admitted his side paid the price for costly mistakes but was unhappy with one of the decisions made by referee Wilton Sampaio.

MEXICO VS SOUTH AFRICA HIGHLIGHTS

"I think the first red card, I won't say anything about. With the second red card I think the Mexican player fouled my player. But the referee decided something else," Broos said.

"It is a bit of a pity we had to finish the game with nine players."

The South Africa coach also pointed to the challenge of facing the tournament hosts in front of a packed home crowd but insisted Mexico were not dominant throughout the contest.

"When you play a game against the hosts you will be under pressure. But the only moment we were under pressure was in the first 20 minutes. After that we had the ball and played well."

"But we made two mistakes on our side. In those moments you don't have to lose the ball. We lost the ball, and there was space for Mexico and they could score twice."

SOUTH AFRICA COACH PROUD OF TEAM

Despite the defeat and South Africa's struggles in attack, Broos surprisingly claimed his team produced a respectable performance against the co-hosts.

Mexico struck early through Quinones after a South African turnover before Jimenez doubled the lead after halftime. Bafana Bafana then saw Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane sent off, leaving them with an uphill battle.

Yet Broos believed his players had caused Mexico problems and suggested the hosts found it difficult to break them down at times.

"I think my team played a good game," Broos said.

"In some moments Mexico were desperate in the game, they didn't know how to find space. The only thing we must be better at in the next game is when we have the ball. We were not so good with that today, we have to work on it."

WHAT NEXT FOR SOUTH AFRICA AT THE WORLD CUP?

The defeat leaves South Africa with little margin for error in Group A, although qualification hopes remain firmly alive.

Bafana Bafana will next face Czechia on June 18 before taking on South Korea in their final group-stage fixture on June 24. With two matches still to play, Broos and his players will be hoping to put the controversy of the Mexico defeat behind them and reignite their World Cup campaign.

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