South Africa captain, Ronwen Williams, has called on football fans across Africa and beyond to unite, insisting that politics has no place in the sport, ahead of the Bafana Bafana's Group A clash against the Czech Republic.
Williams spoke on behalf of the South African team during a pre-match press conference held for the second Group A qualifying round at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 18, 2026.
"I hope politics is left as a matter of politics and you enjoy playing soccer and blame it for what happened on the field. I can't cope with things off the field," Williams said.
"It has nothing to do with us. That's why I want the whole of Africa to come together," he added.
The goalkeeper's comments come amid growing online attacks targeting South Africa during the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
"I can remember, I've always said that, you know, as Africa, we are one, we support each other, you know, in good and bad moments, we've all got our own politics, we've got our own problems, our own fights that we deal with, you know, back home, you know, every country does, you know," Williams said.
"So, I mean, I don't know where it stemmed from, and it does hurt, you know, because like I've mentioned, I've been attacked, obviously my country as well, for things that are going on back home and, you know, I've always said, you know, players are human beings as well," he said.
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