'The comments made by the coach requires clarification as it is open to any interpretation currently,' tweeted Gayton McKenzie.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie says he is awaiting a response from Bafana head coach Hugo Broos after the Belgian was accused of making racist and sexist remarks.
ALSO READ: SAFA and SAHRC receive complaints over Broos comments
“I’m awaiting the response from SAFA & Coach Hugo Broos before i comment. The comments made by the coach requires clarification as it is open to any interpretation currently,” tweeted McKenzie.
UDM complaint about Broos
On Thursday, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) said they had asked the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to investigate comments Broos made about Bafana defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi and his agent Basia Michaels.
Broos slammed Mbokazi at a press conference on Wednesday at TUKS High Performance Centre, after the 20 year-old missed a flight from Durban to join the Bafana camp ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
‘He is a black guy but when he comes out of my room he will be white,’ Broos said of Mbokazi.
Broos also criticised Mbokazi’s move to the MLS in the US to join Chicago Fire. He referred to Mbokazi’s agent, Basia Michaels as a ‘nice little woman who … thinks she knows football.’
“These remarks, if confirmed, constitute racially suggestive and sexist utterances that demean the dignity of the individuals concerned and undermine the constitutional values that govern all public institutions, including national sports structures,” said the UDM in a statement.
UDM MP Nqabayonsi Kwankwa also wrote on Facebook – “Racism and white supremacist attitudes have no place in our society and we will not tolerate them from anyone, including the Bafana Bafana coach. We have also written to SAFA to express our deep concern and disgust at his comments. Hugo must be held to account for his utterances!”
Broos’ comments on Mbokazi do seem open to interpretation. Indeed, Phakaaathi took them to mean that the defender would white with fear after the dressing down Broos was going to give him.
‘I have no comment’
The alleged sexism does appear harder to refute. Michaels herself refused to comment on what Broos said.
“I have no comment on anything; I have no comment,” she told kickoff.com.
“God bless us all. That’s my comment – God bless us all.”
ALSO READ: Broos blasts ‘unprofessional’ Mbokazi over missed Bafana flight
It remains to be seen what the fallout is from Broos’ comments but it certainly is a far from ideal start to Bafana’s camp ahead of the Nations Cup, which starts in Morocco on December 21. Bafana’s first game is against Angola on December 22.
