With South Africa’s World Cup hopes now on the ropes after a 3-0 beating at the hands of Uruguay on Wednesday, the Bafana Bafana are speaking out about a potential early exit from the tournament.
The hosts face France in the Group A finale on June 22, needing a win over the heavily-favored 2006 runners-up to somehow advance to the round of 16 and keep their nation happy.
"If we don't get to the next round it will be a big disappointment," South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said. "I'm very sad. I'm very frustrated. We lost a game we would have at least liked to draw."
No host nation in the history of the World Cup has ever failed to advance beyond the group stage. South Africa, however, seem precariously poised to do just that after Uruguay’s Diego Forlán netted two goals and the Bafana Bafana lost goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune to a red card for a last-gasp tackle in the 80th minute.
“Obviously the guys came to me and said sorry, but I think that I owe them an apology and to the rest of South Africa,” Khune told the press. “It was not deliberate, but I think I owe everybody an apology.”
“I think they deserve an apology because they were there for us as a team so I think for something like that to happen was not nice to anyone.”
Parriera fired back at the call that led to Khune’s red card, slamming Swiss referee Massimo Busacca and saying “he doesn’t deserve to be here.”
“Everyone said it was the worst referee so far,” Parriera said. “He was giving yellow cards that weren't yellow cards.”
