The statements for which Hugo Broos had to apologise this week are but the latest episode in the love-hate relationship between the Bafana Bafana coach and the South African public. Yet no matter how fraught the relationship, very few doubt that Broos stands out as the best coach to lead the senior men’s national team in a long time.
The report card of the Belgian septuagenarian’s four-year reign reflects a renaissance of a team that was a subject of ridicule before he stepped to the fore in May 2021. Qualifying for two Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in a row, and for the 2026 World Cup, speaks of success where many of his predecessors dismally failed.
But put him in front of microphones at a media conference and he is likely to offend South Africa’s socio-political sensibilities. Yet where it matters most, on the field of play, Broos continues to win the hearts and minds of followers who have witnessed Bafana’s near-miraculous turnaround.
If there is any weakness with the man whose coaching teeth were cut with RWD Molenbeek in Belgium’s second division, it’s his impetuous propensity for straight talk in a country where race remains a sensitive subject.
None of Broos’s predecessors was dragged to the South African Human Rights Commission — as he was by the UDM, which accused him of racism and sexism. The racism complaint stems from his angry rebuke of Bafana defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi for reporting a day late for camp. “I can assure you he is a black guy, but he will come out of my room as a white guy,” Broos fumed at a media conference. He also referred to Mbokazi’s agent Basia Michaels as “a nice little woman who … thinks she knows football”.
Broos, who has worked with African players in Algeria and Cameroon, has apologised for his verbal foul play.
“I’m deeply hurt by what happened in recent days and the worst part is that my family, my wife, my children and my grandchildren have also suffered,” he said. “I played with people of colour, coached them, worked with them in Algeria, Cameroon and the last four years in South Africa. You can ask any of them what kind of man I am, maybe some will say he is a bad coach, maybe some will say he’s a good coach or maybe they will say I’m stubborn, but no-one would call me racist.”
The South African Football Association has backed Broos because “the biggest issue”, acknowledged one official who sought anonymity, “is how the coach articulates himself in English. The man was saying Mbokazi is a black man, but he will leave the room pale, which is exactly what happened after he gave him a serious talking to. Broos is no racist; he just went too crazy in terms of articulating how angry he was with Mbokazi. This scenario just played out badly.”
The man was saying Mbokazi is a black man, but he will leave the room pale, which is exactly what happened after he gave him a serious talking to
— Safa official
While the stink lingers in the air, the debacle that dominated the news cycle should not distract from the mammoth mission that lies ahead for Broos and Bafana. They’ve now pitched their tent in Morocco, carrying the burden of expectation of a nation that harbours hopes of seeing captain Ronwen Williams lifting the Afcon trophy like Neil Tovey did with the Class of 1996 on home soil.
Bafana’s resurgence has been thanks to Broos’s tactics. He took them to third place at the 2023 Afcon in Ivory Coast, beting Africa’s first World Cup semifinalists, Morocco, along the way, a result that underlined Bafana’s progress since the 5-0 humbling by France eight months into his tenure.
The team enter this year’s contest as serious contenders to end their 30-year Afcon title drought. In group B they play Angola tomorrow, Egypt on the Day of Goodwill and Zimbabwe three days later.
Broos is seeking his second crown since claiming it with Cameroon in 2017, an amazing achievement considering it was attained without several stars such as Joel Matip, who shunned the national call-up.
Broos’s magic sauce is team selection, and his readiness to ignore what the fans think. He has an eye for spotting players, encouraging their self-belief while melding their individual attributes into a cohesive, effective unit.
“When I arrived, I found a group of players who thought coming to camp was like going on holiday. I had to change a lot of things because the mentality was wrong. It was like a holiday for some of them and it took some time before they could get what I wanted from them.”
What he wanted, and has built to great effect, is a team operating within a firm structure, with a solid shape and an “all for one and one for all” work ethic. The players have responded with performances that have instilled pride and returned respect to the crest on their chests. The result has been a 25-match unbeaten run, which includes topping qualification groups for Afcon and the World Cup. An ebullient spirit exists in the group, with a clear camaraderie off the pitch and a deepened work ethic.
“Credit,” says Broos, “must go to everyone who believed in our project. It was not easy, but we are here now and counted among the best on the continent. It’s going to be a difficult tournament because everyone wants to beat us. They know what we can do but we will be ready.”
He is no Rassie Erasmus, but shares similarities with the Springbok coach. While both men adhere to maintaining high performance levels, they are not averse to broadening the selection pool with an eye to the future. To this end, Broos has included the U-20 duo of Tylon Smith, who plays for Queens Park Rangers in the English Football League Championship, and Shandre Campbell, recently promoted to Club Brugge’s first team. Six months ago, Mbokazi would not have got a look-in for the Bafana squad. Even though he shone for Orlando Pirates, another national team coach might have ignored him due to his lack of international experience.
Broos warns players against changing clubs for more pay despite the risk of getting less game time at the new club. Jayden Adams and Fawaaz Basadien featured regularly at Stellenbosch but the pair’s lack of game time at Mamelodi Sundowns has seen them dropped from the national team. Broos picked Njabulo Ngcobo but dropped him like a hot potato when the centre-back didn’t live up to expectations. He was not dissuaded by the popular outcry that accompanied the axing of the then defender of the season.
The 2026 World Cup in North America will not be the first time Broos has participated in the tournament — in his playing days, he was in the Belgian team that reached the semifinals in Mexico in 1986. He earned 24 caps between 1974 and 1986. “I got injured and the guy who took my position was good,” he says about the end of his time in the national side.
Leading South Africa to Fifa’s global showpiece as coach will put Broos in an exclusive brotherhood of top-rank players who have returned to the tournament as coaches. They include Mario Zagallo of Brazil, Franz Beckenbauer of Germany and Didier Deschamps of France.
Broos’s flare for the unorthodox is plain to see on his hands — he wears his wedding ring on his right hand, not his left. “It doesn’t matter where I wear it, my wife knows that I am her husband. That’s what matters.”
The cognoscenti, such as three-time Confederation of African Football Champions League winner and former Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane, applaud the approach Broos has taken with Bafana.
“Broos has got it right. Even with Afcon, we now don’t struggle with Morocco and Nigeria. So why is it for me to question his selection? It’s just for me to wear my Bafana jersey, support the country and let’s see what happens in the Afcon now and then we can comment from the tournament before the World Cup.”
Their performance in Morocco will be an indicator of how they will do in North America, where their opening match is against Mexico — as it was in 2010.
Broos has been just what the doctor ordered for Bafana, the medicine that has flushed out the poison of underperformance. Now he needs to get his verbal control to the same level as his ball control.
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