Molefi Ntseki defends Bafana Bafana players following CHAN heartbreak

With the 2025/26 Premier Soccer League season fully underway at the time of the biennial tournament kicking off, South Africa were forced to take a squad largely made up of free agents.

Ntseki, who is also standing in as national team boss due to contractual limitations by coach Hugo Broos, insisted he had enough in his arsenal to go all the way and lift the trophy despite their early exit at the hands of co-hosts Uganda.

"I think we brought professionals and they showed how professional they are. They showed their commitment, understanding that they are playing for their country and the game of football like I said there are three results. Unfortunately today we got the result that we do not want,” Ntseki said.

“We wanted a win and it did not happen for us. As for the future, I think the country is very proud of their performances and we brought the best players that played very well in this tournament. 

“I can't fault any of them in terms of performance and commitment and as a coach and as a staff of the team that came to represent South Africa, we are very proud of them."

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Bafana Bafana were bundled out after drawing the must-win match 3-3, ultimately finishing third in Group C, from which only the top two could progress.

Uganda and Algeria progressed, with the latter level on points with the South Africans but pipping them with a superior goal difference.

Bafana were 3-1 up at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala with 17 minutes to play, but the game was flipped on its head as The Cranes were awarded two penalties in quick succession.

Ntseki defended that the players remained professional throughout and showed character despite the precarious situation at the death.

"I think they showed a lot of character because they were very much convinced that this is a game for us to win and when things turned around, you could see the experience in terms of handling the situation,” he added. 

“Even after changing the subs we managed to get an opportunity to get the fourth goal but like I said it was not meant to be. So, as South Africans we are very proud of the performance that we experienced in this tournament from the professionals that we brought to this tournament."