Former Bafana coach Broos overcome with emotion as he bids the country farewell

It turns out there is softness behind the macho and no-nonsense demeanour of former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.

Speaking at Safa House during his farewell press conference on Friday afternoon, Broos was overcome with emotion as he reflected on his successful five-year tenure in the hot seat.

During his time in the country, he played a crucial role in reviving the fortunes of the senior national team from no-hopers to qualifying for back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournaments.

He also helped Bafana to the historic achievement of progressing to the knockout stages at the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.

“What I take away is that in South Africa there are many wonderful people and I get emotional when I think about that,” Broos, his voice full of emotion, said while continuing to give credit to the humility of Africans.

“Africans can create a situation that will make you angry in the moment but a few moments later it’s done and dusted. I will tell you a story about the first meeting with my staff in Cameroon.

“We agreed for a meeting at 10am and we were already sitting in the room ten minutes before but we were still alone at 10am.

“We were still alone at 10.30am and ultimately someone came through the door at 11.15am. Ultimately, everyone was in the room after 11am and I started the meeting shouting.

“While I was shouting, one guy lifted his hand and said, ‘coach why are you angry because everybody is here?’ and he laughed.

“It was an interesting moment because there I was angry and he was calm.”

Having worked on the continent for many years, Broos said he got used to the way of doing things in Africa.

“It is something you have to get used to, but in the beginning it was really frustrating. Here in South Africa, I started with people I didn’t know and you can see what happened after five years,” he said of the relationships created with the players and staff.

“It is only because of your mentality and character and we can’t do that as Europeans. This is special and I love it so much.”