German coach Michael Nees, who is at the helm of Zimbabwe, has lauded Hugo Broos, saying he has made Bafana Bafana the perfect model to copy.
Bafana Bafana were bronze medalists in the last Africa Cup of Nations [AFCON] edition that was played in Ivory Coast.
They were so good that it wasn’t hard to imagine them walking away with the prestigious AFCON title that they last won back in 1996.
Under Broos, they have proved that it is not impossible to break the dominance of North African and West African teams.
They are also on course in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers that are set to resume in March. Bafana and Zimbabwe are both in Group C.
GERMAN COACH MICHEAL NEES LAUDS HUGO BROOS
As such, the German coach, who helped The Warriors qualify for the 2025 AFCON finals, has openly acknowledged that Bafana Bafana symbolizes what he wants to achieve with Zimbabwe.
“Honestly, it’s not yet all lost in the World Cup qualifiers. We have to do everything to turn the shape around in our matches against Benin and Nigeria in March,” Nees told FARPost.
“But right now, Bafana Bafana is the model. We need to at least copy what they do and study how they do it. Their courage and fighting spirit is what we all want to have.
“At best, we have to believe in ourselves, which is exactly what they have been doing since their coach took over,” added Nees.
NEES’ REVEALS HIS MAIN WORRY
As the Zimbabwean league is currently in the off-season, Nees has revealed his main worry looking at the international calendar.
“We don’t know yet when the players are going to be available for us. December has a lot of uncertainty.
“Basically, we have three groups of players: those outside of Africa, players in South Africa and players here in Zimbabwe.
“We need to know in order to plan. When are these players available? But it can only be done if we know. Clearly, we must all pull in one direction to try and turn the ship around in the World Cup qualification.
“We are in the last position. When we select players, we need players who are match fit. We need them to have played at least three or four league matches,” Nees added.
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