Bafana coach Broos hits back at critics and takes a victory lap ... as well he should

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has hit back at some of his critics in South Africa, though in a gentle enough manner to not be as controversial as is capable of, as he took a deserved victory lap after his team’s last 16 shock of Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Broos often complains about the criticism he can receive in the notorious Bafana hot seat. In truth it is certainly not more, and generally probably milder, than what has been dished out to many of his predecessors.

On Tuesday night, in a similar relatively mild manner, the coach — a defender who played in the famous Belgian team that reached the semifinals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where they conceded THAT goal to Diego Maradona — had every right to point out he knows what he is doing.

Broos steered a young Cameroon to the 2017 Nations Cup title. His Bafana rebuilding project that started with him axing big-name veterans after his appointment in 2021 to mixed reaction has ended with Broos steering Bafana to the Nations Cup quarterfinals at the expense of the 2022 World Cup semifinalists.

Broos — capable of ruffling feathers with his directness, though some of his hard truths have also been welcomed — sometimes seems overly sensitive to criticism.

One of the disagreements early on was the exclusion of one of South Africa’s outstanding creative talents of the last decade, Themba Zwane, based on the Mamelodi Sundowns star’s age. The coach relented, admitted he had erred, and Zwane has earned two Man-of-the-Match awards in Ivory Coast.

Broos was asked after his team’s epic victory at Stade Laurent Pokou in San Pedro, where they had a share of luck as Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi missed a penalty that could have sent the game to extra time, what the secret has been to turning around a Bafana who in the last two decades have often struggled to qualify for the Nations Cup.

“First, it’s important that players have confidence. And you get confidence by winning games,” the coach said.

Broos was alluding to his senior team’s run of 13 matches suffering one defeat in the 16 months before the Afcon. Before that the coach’s young Bafana also had a confidence-boosting 2022 World Cup qualifying group stage campaign.

“We needed some time to make a team. I’ve got a lot of critics in South Africa because of the choices I make, but I do what I have to do because I know the results have to follow.

“And even when you see the players at a high level now, when they have the confidence they can do it. And this is very important for South African football, that we are producing good performances here at such a big tournament. So let’s go on.

“And we should say there is no secret; it’s just hard work.

“The guys now are ready to do everything I ask of them. They are training well, they are living from the morning until the evening to be ready for the next game.

“So yes, it makes a coach happy when you see that and the results are following.”

Broos said ahead of the last 16 clash that as formidable as Africa’s No.1-ranked team and the world's 13th, were, coach Walid Regragui’s Atlas Lions were an open book as to how they play.

“You know the coach who wins the game always has the best ideas,” Broos said with a chuckle on Tuesday night.

“If Morocco could have scored from the chances they had and we lost, maybe you would be asking me, ‘Coach, why were you playing like that?’

In a game you also need that bit of luck like we had in the second half. They missed a penalty, they had a few chances we could save — and then, yes, you win the game.

—  Hugo Broos

“But we did a very good analysis of Morocco. And it was not the first time we were playing against them, so we know their team because it does not change so much. So we knew how we had to play tonight.

“And then in a game you also need that bit of luck like we had in the second half. They missed a penalty, they had a few chances we could save — and then, yes, you win the game.

“So it was a different tactic again than the other games we played, but I think this was the right tactic.

“It’s not because Morocco lost that they then become a bad team — it’s really a very good team.”

Bafana have a good head-to-head record against Morocco. After Tuesday night it reads: won four, drawn three and lost two in nine matches. They also had two close games against the Lions in the Afcon qualifiers, losing 2-1 in Rabat and shocking the 2022 World Cup semifinalists by the same scoreline in Johannesburg.

South Africa meet an impressive Cape Verde in Saturday’s quarterfinal at Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro (10pm SA time).

The islanders have been upstarts in Ivory Coast, their progression on the continental stage of the last decade culminating in a campaign that has seen them beat Ghana and Mozambique and draw against Egypt to convincingly top the group of death. They have every reason to believe, as much as Bafana, they have a right to be in the semifinals or further.

The kudos being dished out to Broos and his team by South Africans should not turn to derision if Bafana cannot beat Cape Verde. His team at the Nations Cup missed European-based stars such as Lyle Foster (mental health issues) and Lebo Mothiba (injured). The Belgian’s combination has had a greater identity and played far more positive football than Stuart Baxter’s conservative, ageing Bafana that shocked hosts Egypt in the last 16 and bowed out to Nigeria in the quarters in 2019. It has more stars for the future in its ranks.

Broos makes mistakes. But he is brave enough to give chances to relative unknowns and has enough disregard for criticism — perceived or real — to stick to his decisions, and the results have paid off already with a confidence-boosting campaign in Ivory Coast. Perhaps they will still also pay off even more.