With Bafana Bafana set to take on DR Congo in the CAF AFCON third-place playoff, head coach Hugo Broos has made surprising remarks that cast doubt on the importance of the match.
South Africa couldn’t reach the AFCON final after losing to Nigeria in the semi-final on Wednesday. They will now contend for the third place finish when they face off against DR Congo on Saturday, 10 February at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan.
The Leopards were eliminated by the hosts Ivory Coast who will then take on Nigeria in the final on Sunday.
Broos says the match against DRC will depend on how both sides overcame semi-final disappointments as they were longing to secure spots in the final two.
The former Cameroon mentor is hoping his troops are ready to put up a fight for a bronze. However, he feels the third-place play off shouldn’t be played because only number one matters in a major tournament like AFCON.
HUGO BROOS SAYS THIRD-PLACE PLAYOFF SHOULDN’T BE PLAYED
“The game tomorrow is special, it will depend a little bit on which team will be mentally the most recovered,” said Broos during the press conference.
“Because also for DRC, it was a disappointing evening. If you ask my advice, this game has not to be played. The most important thing in a tournament like this is number one.
“If you are number two or number four tomorrow, for me it’s exactly the same because this is only for statistics.
“Number one is important and we know number one will always be remembered. So, again, I hope that my players will be recovered from the knock down they got on Wednesday.”
Grant Kekana [red card] and Thapelo Maseko [injured] are guaranteed absentees for the Saturday clash. He also revealed that they have a few members in camp who are fighting injuries ahead of their last training on Friday.
‘THREE OR FOUR PLAYERS SUFFERED INJURIES’
“We will or there will be players not available tomorrow. So, there will be changes in the team. We have Thapelo Maseko who’s injured two games ago and we have the red card of Grant Kekana,” he added.
“We have for the moment three, four players who suffered from injuries. So, we have to wait until the training tonight to see if they will be available for the game tomorrow.”
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