SEDIBENG.- As a nation, we owe Bafana Bafana Coach Hugo Broos a sincere apology.
South Africa will be among the 32 countries competing in the biggest football showpiece in the world – the FIFA World Cup.
Bafana Bafana miraculously qualified for the FIFA World Cup in the USA, finishing at the top of Group C, which is something this country is not accustomed to. Coaches have come and gone, yet none has managed to take Bafana Bafana to the World Cup. That changed when SAFA appointed Broos to be Bafana Bafana’s Head Coach.
When Broos took over, he was under heavy criticism, with many calling him a “plumber”.
He was labelled all sorts of names for speaking his mind about South African football. At one point, he was the most hated man on the planet until he proved many of us wrong, and he silenced critics and made so-called football analysts eat humble pie. From day one, Broos boldly declared, “If I fail to take Bafana Bafana to the World Cup, I will resign”.
He backed up those words with action.
Zakes’ Sports Corner is proud to be the first to apologise and congratulate Broos for a job well done. The man defied the odds and achieved what many before him could not, when he took our senior national team to the world stage – a mission that once seemed impossible. He stepped on many toes when he criticised South African football, especially the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
For that, he was branded as arrogant and disrespectful.
However, he changed the fortunes of SA football, and next year the country will be in the World Cup after a long absence from global football. As a nation, we must swallow our pride and apologise to the man we once dismissed. To make it more interesting, two of our local boys, Relebohile Mofokeng and Tshepang Moremi, might find themselves being part of Broos’ World Cup squad. These Sharpeville-born youngsters are about to write their own history on football’s biggest stage.
Watch the space!
To Hugo Broos, from the bottom of my heart, Zakes’ Sports Corner wants to apologise and congratulate you for taking us to the World Cup.
