His actions at Mbombela Stadium were tone-deaf in what should have been a night for celebration.
It’s one thing to make a blunder but to follow it up with arrogance is downright disrespectful. Bafana Bafana team manager Vincent Tseka’s ‘silencing’ gesture to the South African public was not only immature, it was insulting to millions of supporters who care deeply about the national team.
This is the same man whose administrative blunder almost cost Bafana their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The least he could have done was to self-reflect and show humility. Instead, Tseka chose to mock the very people whose passion keeps South African football alive.
ALSO READ: Booth calls for accountability after Bafana admin blunder
The footage now circulating online says it all about what he thinks of the media and football-loving public. Tseka had his finger on his lips, smirking in front of cameras as if to tell everyone to keep quiet following widespread criticism that was levelled against him
Keep quiet about what? About his failure to ensure that Teboho Mokoena, suspended for the Lesotho match, didn’t play? That single error saw FIFA dock Bafana three points and threw the entire qualification campaign into chaos.
If it was not for the players’ resilience and Hugo Broos’ leadership, that mistake could have cost the nation its first World Cup qualification since 2002. Bafana dug themselves out of a hole Tseka created, and instead of gratitude or remorse, we got arrogance.
ALSO READ: Fifa confirm three point deduction for Bafana in World Cup qualifiers
His actions at Mbombela Stadium were tone-deaf in what should have been a night for celebration. For someone in such a crucial administrative role, his behaviour exposed an alarming lack of professionalism and accountability.
Public trust in Tseka has been shattered, and keeping him in his post will only deepen the divide between supporters and the South African Football Association (SAFA). Fans and the media have every right to question how someone capable of such a costly blunder remains in a job.
ALSO READ: ‘What is more fantastic?’ — Broos hails Bafana World Cup qualification
Being docked points by FIFA for an administrative failure is not a minor slip-up, it’s a sackable offence. Tseka’s gesture didn’t just lack class, it symbolised everything wrong with what is perceived as SAFA’s culture of impunity. The team did their part on the pitch and delivered against the odds. It’s time for SAFA to show the same courage and act against incompetence.
