South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has opened up and shared his thoughts following his clash with the Nigerian bench in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier.
With time running down and both sides searching for a winner in the crucial clash, tensions boiled over at the Free State Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Teboho Mokoena received treatment on the pitch for an injury and it was this incident that sparked the ensuing melee.
Both benches resorted into a confrontation, before it took the intervention of the center referee for the game to continue.
The match ended in a 1-1 result, leaving South Africa in pole position to qualify with Nigeria are on the brink of elimination.
William Troost-Ekong turned a clearance into his own net to give Bafana Bafana the lead in the first half, before Calvin Bassey headed in a controversial equalizer late in the half to make the scoreline level.
Nigeria wasted several chances to take the lead in the second half and with nothing to separate both sides, the match ended in a stalemate.
South Africa top Group C with 17 points, while Nigeria are third with 11 points heading into the final two rounds of qualifying.
The Super Eagles face Lesotho and Benin Republic in October, while Bafana Bafana face Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
What Hugo Broos said about the confrontation with Eric Chelle
“You know those are the emotions of the game and sometimes when I see pictures what I’m doing I’m telling myself ‘Come on guy’ but yeah you are nervous, you are tense,” Broos told reporters.
“Honestly we got I think three yellow cards and Nigerians one. That is not normal, I’m very sorry, that is not normal.
“And then yes, you are angry, you shout, all those players of Nigeria went to the referee complaining and then I react also by doing this. But I don’t have to do that, I know that”, the South Africa head coach continued.
“But yeah, what do you want, I want to win, I want to go to America next year (Laughs).”
