Hands off Percy Tau, Bafana coach Hugo Broos tells social media warriors

Percy Tau has come under fire for some poor performances dating back to a big missed chance at the Africa Cup of Nations in February. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers

Percy Tau has come under fire for some poor performances dating back to a big missed chance at the Africa Cup of Nations in February. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers

Published Jun 14, 2024

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Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has slammed the unduly harsh criticism, especially on social media, of striker Percy Tau.

Tau has come under fire for some poor performances dating back to a big missed chance at the Africa Cup of Nations in February.

Tau again was the target of the social media warriors after Bafana’s 1-1 draw away against Nigeria in their Fifa World Cup qualifier last week.

Broos urged the 30-year-old to pay no attention to the undue criticism.

‘They kill you on social media’

“The only thing that is important – and I hope he feels that – is he has all my confidence. That’s most important, because it’s not easy when they kill you on social media,” said Broos.

“It’s the worst thing in the world to say what you want about somebody. This is disgusting sometimes. I hope that’s what he feels from the group and the technical staff, and I hope it will be enough for Percy.

“I don’t understand what happens (with public opinion) with Percy Tau, really. Somebody told me people were again not so happy with the performance of Percy against Nigeria. There were a lot of critics for his performances at Afcon.”

Broos also felt that too much of the blame for missed goals falls on his striker.

“I think everybody puts so much weight on the shoulders of Percy. I said it already, maybe not in the right way, but you can’t make Percy a player who decides the game. He’s a good player, there’s no doubt about it,” said Broos.

“But everybody thinks Percy will give us the victory every game – he’s not that kind of player. I want to ask you not to expect too much from him.”

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