Hugo Broos Reveals What Mohamed Salah Told Him After Bafana Bafana's AFCON Loss to Egypt

South Africa's head coach, Hugo Broos, has revealed the details of his conversation with Mohamed Salah following Bafana Bafana's contentious 1-0 defeat to Egypt in their Africa Cup of Nations Group B encounter in Agadir.

At the same time, Hugo Broos also launched a scathing attack on the officiating, squarely blaming "poor and inconsistent" VAR decisions for the outcome of the match.

The game's pivotal moment occurred late in the first half when a VAR review led to a penalty against Khuliso Mudau for an alleged handball.

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The incident initially seemed harmless, with Mudau appearing to shield the ball with his back to Mohamed Salah before the Egyptian star went to ground. After a lengthy review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Mohamed Salah coolly converted to give the Pharaohs a lead they would not relinquish.

A visibly frustrated Hugo Broos revealed post-match that even the opposition's star player was taken aback by the call.

"Even Salah said to me after the game that he was surprised it was a penalty," Hugo Broos told reporters. He bluntly dismissed the decision, stating simply: "It was ridiculous."

Hugo Broos' anger was not limited to the first-half penalty. He was equally incensed by a second major VAR incident late in the game as Bafana Bafana pushed for an equaliser, particularly after Egypt were reduced to ten men following Mohamed Namy's dismissal.

A potential handball by Yasser Ahmed inside the Egyptian penalty area prompted a nine-minute VAR check. Ultimately, the officials decided the ball struck Ahmed's supporting arm and, therefore, did not constitute a penalty, a ruling that baffled the Bafana coach.

"In the (pre-tournament) meeting, they said if the arm is extended away from the body, it is a penalty," Hugo Broos explained.

"Then they said it was his supporting arm. Who invented this supporting arm? His arm was extended, and it hit his arm."

The coach lamented the state of modern officiating, highlighting the confusion surrounding the rules. "For 45 minutes, they explain the rules; there are 25 to 50 rules. It is a penalty, then it is not a penalty... By the end, there are so many rules that no one knows what to do," he said.

Despite his fury over the refereeing, Hugo Broos offered a balanced assessment of the game's flow. He conceded that Egypt had been the superior team before the interval. "In the first half, Egypt were the better team, they had better circulation of the ball," he admitted.

However, he argued that the dynamic shifted entirely after halftime. "In the second half, ok they were one man less, but we dominated them for 45 minutes. In a moment, you just need a bit of luck… We didn’t have that luck."

Looking ahead, Hugo Broos struck a defiant note, suggesting the controversial loss could galvanise his squad. "We lost today, but it is still only one game. What happened on the pitch today will certainly motivate us to give 200 percent when we play Zimbabwe on Monday."

With South Africa sitting second in Group B, three points adrift of Egypt, the team's focus now turns to securing maximum points against Zimbabwe in their final group stage match, though the controversy from Agadir is set to linger.