“Nobody Wants To Get Injured!” – Why Bafana Legend Isn’t Panicking Over Flat World Cup Warm-Up

Former Bafana Bafana striker Mark Williams has urged the public not to be too harsh on coach Hugo Broos and his players following their lackluster draw against lowly-ranked Nicaragua at Orlando Stadium on Friday.

Williams—a South African football icon who famously scored twice off the bench to secure Bafana Bafana’s maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 1996—argued that players were understandably cautious, eager to avoid injuries that could cost them a spot in the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

The match served as Bafana Bafana’s final World Cup warm-up on home soil, played against a side ranked 131st in the world that has never qualified for the tournament.

Although South Africa dominated possession and took the game to Nicaragua, the Central American side sat deep and absorbed the pressure. Bafana’s struggles were highlighted when a lack of confidence saw Lyle Foster miss a penalty.

“It was a friendly, and nobody wanted to get injured. I wouldn’t try to risk an injury and get dropped,” Williams said during a fan send-off event at the DP World Wanderers Stadium on Saturday.

“You go into it a bit half-heartedly because the tournament is just seven days away. If you pick up an injury now, you miss one of the biggest milestones in a sportsman’s career.

“I’m not even going to think or talk about that game,” he continued. “My message is that we need to play against top teams—like Nigeria, the South Americans, or North African giants like Tunisia and Morocco. They have players based overseas, and that’s the level we need. I don’t see the value in playing neighboring countries ranked 175th in the world when we are in the top 10 in Africa. Come on, you don’t learn anything from that.”

Williams understands the heartbreak of missing the tournament firsthand; he was controversially overlooked by French coach Philippe Troussier for the 1998 World Cup in France, despite his starring role for the national team just two years prior.

Drawn in Group A, Bafana Bafana will kick off their World Cup campaign against co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca on 11 June, before facing the Czech Republic on 18 June. They will conclude the group stage against South Korea on June 25, aiming to secure a spot in the knockout rounds of the tournament, which runs until 19 July across North America.

Williams, who was inducted into the South African Hall of Fame on 14 November 2025, for his 1996 heroics, noted that his primary concern right now is Bafana’s lack of goals.

“The coach knows his selection, and I’m not going to criticize it because you can never please everyone,” Williams added. “Unfortunately, only the coach truly knows the players. But when I look at Bafana, the main thing lacking is that we just aren’t scoring enough.

“I look at Iqraam Rayners, who has been doing brilliantly for Mamelodi Sundowns. I think his pace, combined with Evidence Makgopa upfront, is a partnership we should look at—one acting as the target man to flick the ball on. In my day, working with the late Phil Masinga—may his soul rest in peace—whenever he went up for a header, I was already looking for the second ball to put it in the back of the net. That was our Plan B. Right now, I haven’t even seen Plan A yet, so it’s hard to tell you exactly what else is missing.”