Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has responded to those he believes questioned his decisions since he took over at the helm of the 1996 African champions.
The Belgian arrived in South Africa in May 2021 with a glowing CV marked by guiding Cameroon to the 2017 AFCON title, but always divided opinion over his team selection. From initially snubbing Themba Zwane to overlooking prolific strikers like Bradley Grobler and Tshegofatso Mabasa, Broos was a subject of criticism even after helping the national side to a 2023 AFCON bronze medal.
He has now inspired Bafana to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His men turned on the style to beat Rwanda 3-0 at the Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday to reclaim Group C top spot in these qualifiers.
This is despite the odds seemingly being stacked against them after the world football governing body docked South Africa three points for fielding a suspended player, Teboho Mokoena, against Lesotho in March.
WHAT DID BAFANA COACH BROOS SAY TO CRITICS?
Broos has hit back at those who doubted him and scrutinised his choices during the three years he has been in charge of Bafana.
“I know you did not always agree with the choices I made. For me, it’s important to have a player with quality, first of all, a player with the right mentality, secondly, and a player who can do what I ask him,” said Broos.
“Until now, I always succeeded to do it even when you thought that this one or that one needed a chance. It’s not like that, how you build a team, you need a plan and you need to keep that plan because you know this is the right way.
“This is what we did in the last three years. This is fantastic, not only for us, the coach and the players, but for the whole nation. I heard someone say on the pitch after the game [against Rwanda] and everybody laughed that Bafana Bafana were a joke, but now we are on a high level and everybody respects us.”
Broos is the longest-serving Bafana coach, eclipsing the record previously held by the late Clive Barker, the only tactician to help South Africa to an AFCON title.
And this qualification is massive: it marks the first time Bafana Bafana has earned a World Cup spot since 2002, vaulting coach Broos onto a legendary pedestal in the nation’s football lore. [They participated automatically in 2010 as hosts].
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