“I never listen to rubbish on social media,” Hugo Bruce said before Bafana Bafana’s match against the Czech Republic.
Published June 18, 2026
South Africa coach Hugo Blues has told those who criticized his tactics in last week’s World Cup opener to “shut up” and insists he will continue to do things his way as he plans for the Group A clash with the Czech Republic.
There was an outcry in South Africa when the Blues took an unusual defensive approach in their tournament opener against Mexico last Thursday, and the team failed to create their own chances and lost 2-0.
Bafana Bafana, known as the South African national team, did not leave a very good impression as two players were sent off in the second half, reducing the number to nine players.
“I’ve been a coach for 40 years and I know it’s part of the job to be criticized. So for now, I’ve been criticized, but people should know… and for those who don’t already know… ‘I’m doing it my way,'” Bulls said in a press conference Wednesday.
“I never listen to trash talk on social media. I never listen to people who feel they are important enough to criticize their team. When I look back at what they have achieved, I think they should just shut up,” he said, referring to former player critics.
“We know what went wrong against Mexico, the players know it too and that’s the most important thing. We’ll do it our way,” Brus reiterated.
The veteran Belgian coach said a win in Atlanta on Thursday was essential for South Africa to have any chance of progressing. The Czech Republic also lost to South Korea in their first Group A match last week.
“I think our situation is clear. If we don’t win tomorrow, we will play our last game against South Korea for free.”
“This is something we have to avoid. We know the mistakes we made in the first game, and some say the coach is too soft on the players, but I don’t like to blame the players in front of the cameras. So sometimes as a coach you have to lie a little.”
After the game against Mexico, Bruce stated that he felt the team was more confident after the performance, but this also drew ridicule among some South African supporters.
“We know what went wrong against Mexico, so we’ll try to improve on that tomorrow, but we can only improve on that with the ball,” he added, giving insight into a possible different tactical approach on Thursday.
