South Africa coach Hugo Broos blasts lack of 'AFCON vibe' at Africa Cup in Morocco

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — South Africa coach Hugo Broos isn’t getting that usual Africa Cup of Nations feeling in Morocco.

Broos, who led Cameroon to the title in 2017 in Gabon and took South Africa to third place at the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast, said Sunday there was a lack of enthusiasm for the 35th Africa Cup.

“In the Ivory Coast and in Gabon, every second of the tournament you felt that you were in a tournament,” Broos said. “The people were – when we went with the bus to train – the people were waving and they were with flags, and here you see nothing. So, I don’t know, but yeah, there is no vibe, there is no typical AFCON vibe. I don’t feel it here.”

The Belgian coach was speaking in Marrakech ahead of South Africa’s final group game against Zimbabwe on Monday. The Bafana Bafana opened with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Angola in Marrakech and then lost 1-0 to Egypt in Agadir.

Egypt is already through to the last 16 from Group B with a maximum six points from two games. It is followed by South Africa on three while Angola and Zimbabwe each have a point.

Angola plays Egypt on Monday and the top two progress from each group, along with the best third-place finishers.

Organizers have struggled to fill stadiums and the weather hasn’t helped. There has been heavy rainfall every day of the tournament, except for Thursday when there were no games on the Christian holiday of Christmas Day. Morocco is a predominately Muslim country.

The tournament was originally scheduled for the summer, but it was pushed back to winter so it wouldn’t clash with FIFA’s new Club World Cup played in the United States.

Even Morocco games, which were all sold out, have featured empty seats with touts blamed for snapping up tickets, frustrating fans’ efforts to get access to the near 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, where the home team is playing all its group games.

Security at other stadiums has allowed fans free entrance after kickoff to increase attendance. It has led to supporters without tickets waiting outside on the assumption they will be allowed in.

“Nobody came to see the game South Africa-Angola,” Broos said after criticizing the arrangements for his team’s subsequent match against Egypt. “It was chaos before the game ... they blocked everyone, even people with tickets. They couldn’t enter in the stadium because there was a crowd of people who didn’t have a ticket and who were allowed to come in.”

Broos praised the “nice stadiums” – all nine were newly constructed or renovated for the tournament – but said the atmosphere at the 2025 Africa Cup was uncharacteristically “cool.”

“If they don’t let the people free in the stadium, there is nobody,” he said. “Nobody is coming to watch the game South Africa-Zimbabwe."

Morocco is also a co-host for the 2030 World Cup.

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

A general view of the Tangier Grand Stadium is seen during the Africa Cup of Nations group D soccer match between Senegal and Botswana in Tangier, Morocco, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

South Africa's head coach Hugo Broos sits on the bench ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations group B soccer match between Angola and South Africa in Marrakech, Morocco, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

LONDON (AP) — Broadcaster Channel 4 has pulled all episodes of “Married at First Sight UK” from its platforms after three contestants claimed they were sexually assaulted by on-screen partners on the matchmaking reality show.

The broadcaster said the allegations are “very serious,” and the British government said Tuesday there must be “consequences for criminality or wrongdoing.”

“Married at First Sight” is an international reality TV franchise inspired by a Danish original, with editions in countries including the U.S., Australia and South Africa. Strangers are matched by experts and move in together after mock wedding ceremonies.

Two women who appeared on the British show say they were raped by their on-screen husbands, and a third claims she was subjected to a nonconsensual sexual act.

The claims were made during an investigation by the BBC current affairs program “Panorama.” The BBC said the claimants have not contacted the police, and the men involved dispute the allegations.

Conservative lawmaker Caroline Dinenage, who heads the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the BBC that the show clearly involves “an element of risk.”

“It’s a TV show that almost expects and anticipates people that have only just met will have to become really quite intimate with each other,” she told the BBC. “They’re expected to share a bed and a life together within minutes of meeting. It almost feels like an accident waiting to happen.”

The U.K. version of the program is made by independent production company CPL. It has run for 10 seasons on Channel 4, with an 11th scheduled for broadcast this year. CPL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The broadcaster said the show is produced under “some of the most comprehensive and robust welfare protocols in the industry,” including background checks, a code of conduct setting out behavioral standards and “daily contributor check-ins with a specialist welfare team.”

It has ordered a review of its welfare standards and procedures.

“I want to express my sympathy to contributors who have clearly been distressed after taking part in ‘Married at First Sight UK,’” Channel 4 chief executive Priya Dogra said. “The well-being of our contributors is always of paramount importance.”

The claims are the latest incident to spark debate in Britain about the ethics of reality TV and the pressures placed on participants. Two former contestants on the show “Love Island” died by suicide in 2018 and 2019 and the show’s former presenter, Caroline Flack, took her own life in 2020.

Controversies also have roiled the BBC, Britain’s publicly funded national broadcaster. The BBC introduced chaperones on the dance competition “Strictly Come Dancing” after allegations of bullying and harassment in 2024. The hosts of cooking contest “MasterChef,” Gregg Wallace and John Torode, were fired last year after investigations into allegations of inappropriate behavior.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of sexual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-656-4673 in the U.S.

FILE - General view at the entrance of the Channel 4 Headquarters in London, on April 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)