Hugo Broos warns Bafana players about the intensity of Afcon

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he will draw from his experience of winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with Cameroon in 2017. 

Broos, who helped the Indomitable Lions team to victory over Egypt in Gabon seven years ago, said he has made it clear to the players that it is not going to be easy to win Afcon. 

“I have to give my experience to the players, and the players have to be aware that this is a tough tournament,” said Broos, adding that even those who play regularly in the Champions League are going to find the level at Afcon higher. 

“Even guys of Sundowns who play in the Champions League — you can’t compare even a Champions League game with a game in Afcon.

“You have the best players. When you play in the Champions League, you always play against African players who play in the local competitions. But [at] Afcon [against] Mali, you play against guys who play in Europe, so that’s the difference, first.

“Second, all the teams are 500% motivated. It is like they are playing for their lives every game — so they are very tough, very intense games.” 

Broos said the level of competition at Afcon took him by surprise. 

“For me, it was a big surprise when I played the first games [with Cameroon] against Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau in 2017. I didn’t believe my eyes — it was so tough, so  intense. 

“I think that experience I have to give to my players, [so] that they are aware next Tuesday at the kickoff [of their opening match against Mali], they know what will come.

“That is the most important thing, when you talk about my experience. For the rest, it's my experience as a coach over the years. It is a good thing that I always watch Afcon because seven years ago, I didn’t know about the intensity and how people look at it, in the stadium.  

“It’s totally different than Europe, really — and that for me was a good experience, to have that.”