Rassie Van Der Dussen: Proteas Cricketer Hits Back at Irish Critics of Bafana Bafana at World Cup
- South African cricketer Rassie van der Dussen has backed Bafana Bafana following the backlash they face from Irish commentators
- Bafana Bafana were trolled by Irish commentators over their poor performance at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup in America
- The Proteas cricketer's comments gathered different reactions from South Africans on social media ahead of South Korea's tie
Proteas cricketer Rassie van der Dussen has come to the defence of Bafana Bafana following criticism from Irish commentators who have ridiculed the team’s showing at the FIFA World Cup.
Source: Getty Images
So far, the South African side has recorded one defeat, against Mexico, and played out a draw with the Czech Republic in their second group game. They are set to conclude their group-stage campaign on Thursday, 25 June, when they face South Korea.
Rassie responds to Bafana Bafana backlash
Bafana Bafana’s performances at the tournament have drawn heavy scrutiny from both fans and pundits on social media, with other country's football fans from other countries also criticising the team for their performance so far.
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A significant portion of the criticism has come from outside South Africa, including from individuals whose own national teams did not qualify for the competition.
One of the more vocal critics was Irish betting firm Paddy Power, which posted on social media:
“I need to see evidence of South Africa qualifying for this tournament, because I’m wondering how on Earth it happened”.
The comment sparked backlash from South African users, including sports personality Rory Petzer, who fired back with: “This aged as well as an Ireland RWC quarterfinal.”
Adding to the response, Proteas cricketer Rassie van der Dussen also weighed in sharply, simply asking: “Which group is Ireland in?”
Fans react to Rassie's comment
The Proteas cricketer's reply to Paddy Power on X sparked mixed reactions from South Africans on social media as Bafana Bafana prepare for their final group game against South Korea.
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Mary Jay said:
"No disrespect, but criticism from countries that didn’t even qualify means very little to me. Respectfully, I don’t care. Just qualifying for the World Cup is a big deal."
Sibusiso Sindane shared:
"The coach must just stop with his defensive approach and use players like Mofokeng, who have an attacking flair, we might win against South Korea."
Louis Strydom wrote:
"Ireland's ballas man, we stand behind our own."
Martin van der Bijl commented:
"Rassie should be clapping back at the lack of transformation and non-existence of a quota system in Bafana Bafana the way its been forced on his own sport."
Grant Johnstone added:
"SA qualified. That's not terrible in itself. We do need better structures, administrators and coaching to lift players to compete and be threatening at this level. Playing at this level identifies gaps and leads to improvement. Keep going, stay proud."
Williams sends a message to South Africans
Briefly News earlier reported that Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen William has made a huge promise ahead of South Africa's next World Cup group game against the Czech Republic.
The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper also reflected on Bafana Bafana's defeat against Mexico in their opening fixture in the competition.
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Source: Briefly News
