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Cape Town - Congo head coach Claude le Roy has responded with disappointment at comments attributed to his Bafana Bafana counterpart Shakes Mashaba.
Speaking ahead of the first leg of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Point Noire, Mashaba singled out Red Devils goalkeeper Chancel Massa as the weak link.
Le Roy was not impressed with the Bafana boss' statement and made it known in the build-up to the return leg in Polokwane on Wednesday night.
"The other coach said our goalkeeper is not very good, and that they know how to beat Congo, because if we do not score in the first 10 minutes, we do not do anything," he is quoted as saying by SAPA.
"That is completely stupid, because we didn't score (in the first 10 minutes) against Nigeria, they scored the first goal (Congo went on to win 3-2 in Calabar).
"I don't like it when coaches say a lot of things. It is important to talk to journalists before a game and to keep a lot of humility. Football is a school of humility.
"I respect everybody from the bench and never said one word about their coach. Especially a coach who is new at the highest level after a long time must keep his humility."
Le Roy said that he was nevertheless delighted to see Bafana on an upward spiral as he believes their improved form will benefit the continent.
"I love this country, I like this team, Bafana Bafana," the Frenchman continued. "I think Bafana have a lot of complementary footballers, a good duo of strikers.
"(There is) A good philosophy of football in this team, it is very interesting for not only South African football, but also African football to see a team coming back from a long, long time in terms of quality.
"It is a very important for the future of football to have a good South Africa, but we try to stop this very good team only for 90 minutes," he added jokingly.
Speaking ahead of the first leg of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Point Noire, Mashaba singled out Red Devils goalkeeper Chancel Massa as the weak link.
Le Roy was not impressed with the Bafana boss' statement and made it known in the build-up to the return leg in Polokwane on Wednesday night.
"The other coach said our goalkeeper is not very good, and that they know how to beat Congo, because if we do not score in the first 10 minutes, we do not do anything," he is quoted as saying by SAPA.
"That is completely stupid, because we didn't score (in the first 10 minutes) against Nigeria, they scored the first goal (Congo went on to win 3-2 in Calabar).
"I don't like it when coaches say a lot of things. It is important to talk to journalists before a game and to keep a lot of humility. Football is a school of humility.
"I respect everybody from the bench and never said one word about their coach. Especially a coach who is new at the highest level after a long time must keep his humility."
Le Roy said that he was nevertheless delighted to see Bafana on an upward spiral as he believes their improved form will benefit the continent.
"I love this country, I like this team, Bafana Bafana," the Frenchman continued. "I think Bafana have a lot of complementary footballers, a good duo of strikers.
"(There is) A good philosophy of football in this team, it is very interesting for not only South African football, but also African football to see a team coming back from a long, long time in terms of quality.
"It is a very important for the future of football to have a good South Africa, but we try to stop this very good team only for 90 minutes," he added jokingly.
