Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is furious after his team were on Monday unable to train at Abidjan’s Félix Houphouët Boigny Stadium – the venue for Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Benin.
This qualifier is going to be played in Ivory Coast because there’s no suitable stadium to host international matches in Benin.
“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 remarked.
“I think this is a FIFA rule that every team has the right to have a preliminary training before the game 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.”
The Belgian added: “But I know if 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 in the stadium where the match takes place and we can’t. This is not honest and this is not correct.”
