Rele Mofokeng hugs female referee in endearing, ‘Gen Z’ moment

· The South African

South Africans were left tickled pink after Bafana Bafana starboy Relebohile “Rele” Mofokeng hugged the referee at his FIFA World Cup debut.

The 21-year-old innocently embraced Tori Penso, who also made history for leading the first all-women officiating crew at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Mofokeng – brought on during the second-half match against Czechia – has been nicknamed by fans as the “President of 2ks”.

RELE MOFOKENG HUGS REF – SOUTH AFRICANS AMUSED 

After a tough first half, with Bafana Bafana down by one goal to Czechia, South Africans were overjoyed to see Rele Mofokeng finally make his FIFA World Cup debut.

The 21-year-old was also visibly delighted to finally get game time.

Not long after taking to the field, Mofokeng was cautioned by ref Tori Penso after knocking over a Czech opponent.

The young star appeared remorseful, embracing both the player and the ref in a sweet moment.

The show of affection left many football fans with the warm fuzzies. Some were impressed by Mofokeng’s politeness. Others were also amused at his innocence.

On the X app, Bafana supporters jokingly referred to Mofokeng as a typical “Gen Z” and “president of the Ama2k club”.

‘MY FIRST WORLD CUP

Speaking to SABC Sport, Rele Mofokeng reflected on his FIFA World Cup debut match.

He said: “It is my first World Cup and my first game. The coach told me to be confident and believe in myself. He told me that he believes in me. He said I must be myself and just do my best”.

Although he believes players needed to attack more, he acknowledged his teammates’ efforts in applying pressure to their opponents.

He continued: “We believe that we can win; we came here to win. When he [Teboho Mokoena] scored a penalty, he gave us confidence. He gave us the courage to know that we can win. We went with our all and gave our best”

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