While recalling “tremendous” attacks Hugo Broos encountered when he overhauled Bafana Bafana, Danny Jordaan revealed what convinced SAFA to opt for the Belgian tactician.
Appointed in 2021, the 72-year-old coach was tasked with the responsibility of restoring competitiveness to the national team after two decades of difficulties.
Broos faced intense criticism when he made significant changes in the Bafana team, dropping established players in favour of younger talent.
The likes of Thulani Hlatshwayo, Bongani Zungu, Andile Jali, Itumeleng Khune, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Thulani Serero and many others couldn’t make the cut anymore. During that year marked by strong backlash, he still came close to guiding Bafana to the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers playoffs.
The global showpiece dream was thwarted by Ghana, who secured a 1-0 victory in the final group stage match, aided by a controversial penalty goal.
SAFA president, Jordaan says revamping the team was precisely what they sought from Broos, given his successful track record with Cameroon.
Broos had previously transformed the Cameroonian squad by discarding old players and building a young, dynamic team. This culminated in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations victory.
DANNY JORDAAN EXPLAINS WHAT CONVINCED SAFA TO APPOINT HUGO BROOS
“I saw Hugo Broos when he was with Cameroon,” said Jordaan.
“What he did in Cameroon, I thought it was needed in South Africa. He removed all the older players in the Cameroonian team and built a young team.
“Abbubaker became a big star, but he was a youngster. It was a kind of thing that we needed.
“When he came you couldn’t see Hlatshwayo, Khune, Kamohelo, Zungu, Jali anymore in the squad. The attack was tremendous and the pressure was tremendous.
“But we thought we must give him a chance and you guys [media], you know better, you made it difficult. You called him madala and all these things.
“But I think now we can say it was the right approach. Start afresh, start all over again and now we have a team that can really play football.
“And there’s no fear in our team for anybody. We played Nigeria in Uyo, I think we could have won the match. We played Algeria in Algeria, I think we could have won the match.
“There’s a spirit and the fight in the team that you have never seen before. We have the best team and we wish the team all the best.”
RELATED STORY: Will Rulani’s Sundowns exit affect Bafana Bafana? Danny Jordaan has his say
