'Bafana need to play strong opponents,' insists coach Hugo Broos ahead of Guinea and France friendlies

24 March 2022 - 12:29 By SITHEMBISO DINDI
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South Africa coach Hugo Broos greets players during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, qualifier match between South Africa and Zimbabwe at FNB Stadium on November 11, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
South Africa coach Hugo Broos greets players during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, qualifier match between South Africa and Zimbabwe at FNB Stadium on November 11, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

For a long time, Bafana Bafana have not had strong opposition to test them but coach Hugo Broos is confident the next two friendly matches against Guinea and France are what SA need ahead of a tough year.

Bafana are currently in Europe to play Guinea on Friday night in Kortrijk, Belgium, (7pm SA time) before their clash with star-studded world champions France in Lille on Tuesday night.

Broos is hoping the two matches will be a test that his players desperately need before the start of their 2023 Afcon qualifiers in June.

The Belgian tactician feels for SA to be a successful footballing nation, they need to stop the tendency of playing friendlies against weak opponents for the sake of boosting their win ratio.

“For me these are important games, they are difficult games, but I asked for difficult games because I’ve been told that in the past it was not usually for SA to play tough friendly games,” Broos said.

“It was always against, if I can say that, weak opponents and SA were sure even before the game that they were going to win it.

“I think we are not sure if we are going to win these next two games but it will be a very good experience for all the players.

“And for me, it will be a good opportunity to see especially the new players if they are really an improvement for us, if they can bring the power and the experience that I expect,” he said.

Broos has stressed that they’ve opted for a performance- driven approach instead of being desperate for wins.

“What I expect from these games is not a good result because I think it will be very tough when you play against the world champions. A good game will be great,” the coach said.

“I want to see these players out there and showing their quality so that they can be there in June and that we will have a stronger team than that we had for the World Cup qualifiers,” he said.

Broos said booking a spot in the 2023 Afcon to take place in Ivory Coast is a must for him.

“In two months, there will be qualifiers for Afcon and I’ve said it already from the beginning. This is a must, we have to go to Ivory Coast next year, we have to be present in Afcon. And therefore, I hope the games we are playing right now will give us what we expect and I’m sure we will be stronger Afcon qualifiers and that we will be there in Ivory Coast for the tournament.”


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