{
  "id": 10354802,
  "title": "Ruud Gullit says South Africa and emerging nations have closed the gap on football's elite",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/ruud-gullit-says-south-africa-and-emerging-nations-have-closed-the",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T03:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/sport/soccer/2026-09-28-ruud-gullit-says-south-africa-and-emerging-nations-have-closed-the-gap-on-footballs-elite/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit has praised the growing strength of South African and emerging nations in international football. Bafana Bafana's historic run to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in their history has impressed Gullit, who believes it demonstrates the rapid improvement of global football. Even after head coach Hugo Broos left the club, the future of South African football seems promising. Gullit, a former Netherlands international, noted that nations like South Africa have managed to close the gap on traditional football powers like France and Spain. He believes that while the core football principles remain unchanged, the pace and pressure on the pitch have increased significantly due to the physical conditioning and technical abilities of modern players. Gullit highlighted that smaller teams now present a significant challenge to established footballing nations, underscoring the evolving nature of the sport.",
  "summary": "Dutch legend Ruud Gullit praised Bafana Bafana's historic World Cup run, highlighting how rising physical conditioning and defensive structure across smaller nations are making international football tougher for established powerhouses like France and Spain.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "ABC News",
        "title": "Australian middle order collapses again as South Africa claims ODI",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/27/australian-middle-order-collapses-again-as-south-africa-claims-odi",
        "published": "2026-09-27T22:17:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Refugees in South Africa fear new attacks as September 30 deadline looms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/refugees-in-south-africa-fear-new-attacks-as-september-30-deadline",
        "published": "2026-09-28T00:29:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Trust",
        "title": "More Nigerians evacuated as gunmen kill 27 in South Africa",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/more-nigerians-evacuated-as-gunmen-kill-27-in-south-africa",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:26:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "South Africa faces 1,200 projected heat deaths as Super El Niño intensifies",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/south-africa-faces-1-200-projected-heat-deaths-as-super-el-nino",
        "published": "2026-09-28T03:50:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}