Broos sets the bar higher as Bafana aim beyond bronze in Afcon
After guiding Bafana Bafana to qualify for the Fifa World Cup to be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico next year, coach Hugo Broos wants the national team to better their third-place finish in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco in December.
Bafana clinched bronze in the last Afcon in the Ivory Coast last year, and Broos said they will do even better this time as they look to build a winning momentum ahead of the World Cup.
Bafana qualified for the World Cup following their 3-0 win over Rwanda in their last match at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday to finish top of Group C with 18 points.
Goals by Thalenthe Mbatha, Oswin Appollis and Evidence Makgopa were enough to send Bafana through to the World Cup ahead of Benin, who lost 4-0 to Nigeria.
“At last, this is something that this nation needs: a different way to look at football. A different way to judge players, and I really hope that in December during Afcon, we will try to do as well as the last one and even better,” Broos told the media during the post-match press conference.
I heard someone saying on the pitch after the game, ‘everybody laughed at Bafana Bafana; we were a joke, and now we are there and on a high level, and everybody respects us.
Coach Hugo Broos
“I hope with all the high-level tournaments, certainly next year in America with the World Cup, that players will have that opportunity to go to high [in] competitions because they deserve it, first of all, and they also need it.
“And if we can make that step in the future, you will see that SA is getting better than they are now.”
Broos also feels that Bafana have now restored their pride, saying they have gone from being mocked to being feared across the continent.
“I heard someone saying on the pitch after the game, ‘everybody laughed at Bafana Bafana; we were a joke, and now we are there and on a high level, and everybody respects us’,” he said.
“Someone told me after the game that people used to laugh at Bafana; we were a joke. Now we are respected. We are on a high level, and everyone knows that when you play SA, it won’t be easy anymore.
“You need a plan, and you need to keep yourself on the plan because you know that this is the right way and this is what we did in the last two years. This is fantastic not only for us as coaches or players but for the nation.”
Sowetan
