Former AmaZulu FC head coach Pablo Franco Martin, now at the helm of Botola Pro 1 outfit MAS Fès, has given his honest assessment of Bafana Bafana’s 2025 AFCON journey in Morocco.
South Africa had a disappointing run at the 2025 AFCON, crashing out of the Round of 16 after a 2-1 defeat against Cameroon last weekend. Bafana failed to live up to expectations of being labelled as one of the favourites to win the Nations Cup, having displayed an impressive form building up to the tournament.
Before the AFCON, Bafana qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will take place in Mexico, Canada, and the United States of America. Meanwhile, Bafana also gained the favourites tag after clinching the bronze medal in the previous AFCON in the Ivory Coast.
On the road to the Last 16, Bafana beat Angola and Zimbabwe while losing against Egypt to finish second in Group B with six points.
WHAT PABLO MARTIN SAID ABOUT BAFANA’S AFCON JOURNEY
Following the disappointing exit from the AFCON, Pablo Martin, who is currently in the books on Maghreb Association De Fes in Morocco, says South Africa is playing exciting football, but they faced tough opposition.
“I think Bafana Bafana’s style of play is difficult to see here in Africa; they have a mindset close to the one we [Spain] have. They play short passes with combination play, but this competition is tough, you’re facing really good teams with players playing in Europe,” Martin told FARPost.
“The physicality of these players and the mindset is to play more direct and be more vertical. Like Cameroon created a lot of dangerous moments with this playing style, being direct, and from there, the opponents are making mistakes.
“I know they were close to equalising with [Evidence] Makgopa in the final minutes, but they were loyal to their principles. They played a good tournament, making it from the group stages, and in the Last 16, they faced tough opponents who were more physical than they are. And that was the key to the game.”
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