‘I’m an experienced coach and knew I shouldn’t do that’: Bafana coach Broos on his walk-off

28 March 2023 - 09:20 By Marc Strydom
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Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos coach during a training session at Orlando Stadium on March 23 2023.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos coach during a training session at Orlando Stadium on March 23 2023.
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has admitted that with his experience he should have known better than to walk off before the end of his team's 2-2 draw against Liberia on Friday that has endangered their chances of reaching the Africa Cup of Nations.

Broos, 70, again said Bafana were the better team but paid for relaxing with a 2-0 lead by the break, and also not burying the chances they still created, allowing Tonia Tisdell and Mohammed Sangare's goals that earned the 150th-ranked Liberians a draw at Orlando Stadium.

Broos said he knows it will be tough for 67th-ranked South Africa to earn the win they now need on the artificial surface of Monrovia's small but no doubt hostile 22,000-seat Samuel Kanyon Doe Stadium on Tuesday (6pm SA time). However, he is sure his team can learn from their mistakes and make their superior player power count this time round.

Broos left the pitch after Sangare's 91st-minute equaliser in Soweto, and then initially attempted to send assistant coach Helman Mkhalele to the post-match press conference, his rash actions adding unnecessary heat and distraction for the return match.

“First of all I want to come back to my behaviour on Friday after the game. I know you are all waiting with your questions and hoping for spicy answers,” he said at his prematch press conference in Monrovia on Monday.

“I'm an experienced coach and knew that I should not do that.

“The damage was already created on the pitch. We let the victory slip away. There was no reason to but we missed too many chances and Liberia took advantage of that.

“On the bench I felt that it [letting the result slip] could happen, certainly in the second half — we were not at the same level as the first half.

“Still we had three or four good chances. We can say if we'd scored one or two of those the result could have been 3-0 or 4-0. The Liberians wouldn't have had belief any more and we would be here [in Monrovia] with a victory.

“It didn't happen, so we have to do it tomorrow. Because we let it slip away on Friday it's not that I don't believe in my team any more or that we will have a victory tomorrow, but I also know the Liberians will not give us presents.

“We gave them a bit of hope on Friday. So it's up to us now from the beginning game to show that they shouldn't have belief and that hope to have a good result.

“It will be tough; you see the weather [heat], and I didn't see the pitch yet but I know a synthetic surface is always a bit tricky. But OK, we know we have to do it and I'm also convinced my team is ready.”

Broos said Bafana know being the better team on paper is not enough.

“That is what Liberia showed us on Friday. So it's up to us now to not make the same mistakes, to begin the game ready and not let the Liberians think it can be possible for them.

“But from this chair it's easy to say it — we will have to do it tomorrow.”

Bafana captain Ronwen Williams said Bafana were disappointed because “we were in the driving seat, things were looking good for us at the break”.

“But were more disappointed because the coach made note to us that we needed to be serious and not take the game lightly because Liberia could come back and could throw everything at us.

“The coach is experienced and knew what he was speaking about. Hopefully we have learnt our lesson and won't repeat the same mistakes.”

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