“Heartbreaking To Witness”: Khune Slams Pirates Fans Over Shocking Bafana Incident
Kaizer Chiefs legend Itumeleng Khune has urged South African football fans to bury domestic club rivalries and unite behind Bafana Bafana, strongly condemning the recent booing of national team stars ahead of their 2026 World Cup opener.
Bafana Bafana are preparing for the opening match of their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, but there remains some uncertainty surrounding the level of support the team will receive. A section of supporters has expressed dissatisfaction with coach Hugo Broos’ squad selection ahead of the tournament.
South Africa will begin their campaign against Mexico on Thursday following a largely unconvincing preparation period, during which the team struggled to produce convincing results in their warm-up matches.
Khune believes this is the time for the nation to rally behind the team. He stressed that club loyalties should be set aside when supporting the national side, pointing to incidents during Bafana Bafana’s 0-0 draw against Nicaragua, where some Orlando Pirates supporters reportedly booed players such as Lyle Foster and Themba Zwane.
“As I said, people should not withhold their support for Bafana Bafana because of personal preferences or club loyalties,” said Khune.
“When we come together as a nation, we need to be united. We need to put aside the politics of supporting the three biggest clubs in the country. People like making comparisons, and you can only imagine what Lyle Foster was going through after missing the penalty.
“Just before he took it, Themba Zwane had the ball in his hands and people started chanting Tito’s name [Patrick Maswanganyi].
“Tito obviously did not make the final 26-man squad, but some Orlando Pirates fans started booing Themba Zwane. Themba then handed the ball to Lyle Foster, who plays in the Premier League, and people started booing him as well.
“We need to put aside our differences and stop favouring certain individuals while criticising others simply because they play for different clubs in the PSL.
“Every player selected to represent Bafana Bafana deserves our support. As a nation, we need to come together and back the team. It was heartbreaking to witness our own players being booed.
“These are the same players who will be representing us on the world stage. I urge the fans to unite whenever the national team is playing.”
