ATLANTA (AP) — South Africa coach Hugo Bruce quickly became the unexpected highlight of the game. world cup.
The 74-year-old Belgian, with his thick silver hair and what appears to be a permanently furrowed brow, has a no-nonsense approach to dealing with the media.
Bruce shut down questions about Donald Trump, accusing him of thinking: Lionel Messi’s preferential treatment And he told his critics in South Africa to “shut up.”
All this will take place within a week of the start of the tournament.
“For those who don’t know yet, I do it my way,” he said after the former South African player assessed his team’s performance. Lost to Mexico 0-2 At the opening game.
“I never listen to people who sometimes think they’re important enough to criticize the team. So when you look at what they’ve done before, I think they’d better shut up.”
Bruce, who has announced he will step down after the tournament, led South Africa to their first World Cup appearance since 2010.
He is one of the oldest coaches to have participated in the World Cup, has 40 years of experience and has no problem speaking his mind. But he had enough foresight to avoid getting drawn into a potential war of words with President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, he listened intently when a reporter asked him and goaltender Ronwen Williams to comment on President Trump’s remarks. Unsubstantiated claims that there was systematic killing of white farmers In South Africa.
“I’ll answer that question,” he said. “I won’t answer that question.”
He spoke more extensively about Messi’s tackle on Algeria captain Aissa Mandy, and specifically about his own player Themba Zwane’s sending off following a VAR check in a match against Mexico’s Roberto Alvarado, which was followed by a three-game ban.
“I don’t think there was even VAR for Messi,” Bruce said. “I don’t want Messi to get a red card because that player has to be on the pitch…but yeah, what’s the difference here?”
a 1-1 draw with Czech Republic In Thursday’s match, South Africa kept their hopes alive of making it out of the group stage for the first time in a World Cup.
When Teboho Mokoena was asked if he was relieved after converting the penalty in the final minute, he gave his usual curt reply.
“Why shouldn’t I feel safe?” he said.
Next, there was criticism of the Czech Republic’s long ball tactics. “If you like soccer, I think you’ll like the game we played today better than the Czech game.”
And about Atlanta Stadium: “Honestly, it’s not a football stadium. It’s a great stadium, a great stadium, everything you want, but the only thing that’s football is the grass. Everything else is not football.”
A win against South Korea on Wednesday is likely enough for South Africa to advance from Group A.
The fan favorite spoke this week about his reaction to qualifying for the World Cup.
“Someone came up to me and said, ‘Coach, we have to build a statue for you in South Africa.’
“I asked them to make it out of wood so it would be easy to burn if they lost.”
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
