Former South Africa national team head coach Owen Da Gama has openly criticised Bafana Bafana’s preparations for the World Cup, claiming the team is afraid to face stronger opposition.
According to Da Gama, a combination of visa chaos and poor planning has derailed the squad’s final build-up to the tournament.
The situation worsened on 31 May 2026, when a scheduled charter flight to Mexico was abruptly cancelled, leaving travel plans in disarray. SAFA has also struggled to arrange friendlies against higher-ranked sides.
Speaking to KickOff, Da Gama did not hold back:
“I’m deeply disappointed – not just with the Nicaragua game, but with the whole approach. We played a team ranked 131st in the world, at home. That’s terrible preparation. Panama, then Nicaragua – it’s very poor. I think we’re more concerned with keeping an unbeaten record than actually testing ourselves.”
He contrasted this with his experience coaching the Under-23 team at the Olympics: “We played Brazil away and lost, Japan away and lost. But by the time we got to the Olympics, we were ready – we drew with Brazil with ten men. You need that kind of preparation for a World Cup.”
Da Gama suggested that fear, not just finances, is holding Bafana back. “I think we’re scared of playing bigger countries. I don’t know if it’s about money – I understand Brazil wanted R5 million, and the government should help. But we can’t hide.”
He concluded with a somber warning: “I’ll always support Bafana 100%, but I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Honestly, our preparation has been very, very poor.”
