'This is not honest and this is not correct' - angry Hugo Broos left infuriated after Bafana Bafana denied access to stadium for 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Benin - 'This is bad when people who make the rules don’t follow the rules'

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has revealed his frustration after his players were not granted access to train at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny, where Benin will host them on Tuesday.

Citing Fifa rules, Broos said his players should have been allowed to train at the stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, before their Group C World Cup qualifying match against the West Africans.

The tactician has described the decision not to allow Bafana Bafana to train at the match venue as dishonest and incorrect.

“First of all, I have to tell you that I’m really not satisfied with the decision that we can’t have a pre-match training in the stadium where the game takes place,” Broos said.

“I think this is a Fifa rule, that every team has the right to have a preliminary training of 60 minutes in the stadium where you play, where the match takes place."

“I don’t understand. I understand it because there is another game. But this is bad when people who make the rules don’t follow the rules. Will that have an influence on the game? I don’t know," he added.

“But I know if tomorrow after the game I’m not at the press conference, there will be a sanction. So, we have to follow the rules. Where are the rules now? And you will tell me, yes, that’s for both teams. I don’t think so. I think Benin has already trained in that stadium because they were here before us."

“So, it’s all nice to say, ‘Follow the rules, follow this. We have to follow everything. But we have the right to train today in the stadium where the match takes place, and we can’t. And this is not honest, and this is not correct," Broos concluded.

The match between Benin and South Africa is expected to be very tough given the stakes it carries. Bafana are top of the group with 10 points, two more than second-placed Benin.

The Cosafa nation heads into the showdown with their morale boosted with a 2-0 victory over Lesotho. On the other hand, Benin go into the game after failing to win against Zimbabwe. They were held to a 2-2 draw at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Thursday.

A win will see the 1996 African champions widen the gap at the top to five points. If Benin win, they will overtake South Africa, although only one point will be separating them.

Despite the training challenges before the crucial match, Bafana must ensure they fight to win in order to boost their chances of returning to the World Cup finals.