Skipper Williams admits disruptions in Bafana camp, urges unity ahead of AFCON

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has revealed that not all has been well during the team’s camp at the UP High Performance Centre ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations 2025, calling on supporters to rally behind the team now and at the main event in Morocco.

Bafana assembled for camp last week, and coach Hugo Broos was seething with anger after defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi arrived later than scheduled. Broos said that by the time they finished their chat over the issue, Mbokazi would have changed the colour of his skin from black to white.

Broos’ frustrations did not stop there. He was also unhappy about Mbokazi’s recent move from Orlando Pirates to Chicago Fire, describing his agent, Basia Michaels, as a “nice little woman who thinks she knows football”.

The two remarks did not sit well with some members of the public, including the United Democratic Movement (UDM), which said Broos’ comments were racist and sexist.

Safa backed Broos in a statement on Saturday, before the silver-haired coach issued an apology to Michaels, Mbokazi and the public during the pre-match press conference ahead of the friendly against Ghana at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday afternoon (3pm kick-off).

Broos’ captain, Williams, revealed during the same press conference that there have been disruptions in camp, including the late arrival of international players such as Lyle Foster, who were supposed to arrive on Tuesday.

“It’s been a very strange and weird camp for many reasons,” Williams said. “It’s difficult to prepare because we are obviously not the full squad. We’ve had a few small problems as a team.

“But I am glad that those things happened, especially within the team. We had a chance to sit together and sort things out, to try to fix the issues we have as a team.

“The camp has been good, but we haven’t been at our best. I think once the team settles down this week, things will be better. The mood in the team hasn’t been the best, but we will sort it out and keep fighting.”

With the masses clearly divided over Broos’ remarks, Williams has called on everyone to get behind the team and fuel them to another podium finish, as they did in the last edition a few months ago.

“The main focus is to get the support to rally behind the team,” Williams said. “We need them to get behind us. We know how far we have come as a team. We can’t take steps backwards now; we need each other. This time, we can only be stronger together.

“Let’s learn from past mistakes and issues that affected the team and our performances. We need the opportunity to go to the tournament with a clear mindset and give our all for the country.”