Both the South African Football Association and Broos will not want to take this to a place where their head coach has outstayed his welcome.
Is it time for Hugo Broos to say goodbye to Bafana Bafana? Picture: ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP
Sometimes the key to saving a long-term relationship is knowing when to let go.
Broos unsure over Bafana future
Hugo Broos seemed unsure of whether his love affair with Bafana Bafana would continue, in the aftermath of South Africa’s 2026 Fifa World Cup exit at the hands of Canada on Sunday in Los Angeles.
The 74 year-old Bafana head coach previously said he would definitely be leaving once the side’s World Cup adventure had ended. He even went as far as to say he would be retiring from football entirely, to go home to be with his family in Belgium.
In the next week, the picture is likely to become clearer. Bafana will fly home from the World Cup after a tournament in which they battled back brilliantly from a listless defeat to Mexico in the opening match.
The victory over South Korea in their last Group A match ended up being the peak, as Bafana qualified for the knockout rounds of a Fifa World Cup for the first time ever.
The joy was short-lived, however, as in the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Stephen Eustáquio’s late winner broke Bafana hearts.
A special bond, but…
Broos has done a fine job in his five years as Bafana coach. The Belgian has had this side, made up mainly of locally-based players, punching above their weight in finishing third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, qualifying for the World Cup ahead of Nigeria, and then getting out of the group stages at the finals.
He has built a special bond with this group of players, who fight to the death for him, as they did against Canada, despite again lacking any real cutting edge.
Young stars like Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Ime Okon, Relebohile Mofokeng and Thapelo Maseko hint at bright future. But it should be without Broos. Both the South African Football Association and Broos will not want to take this to a place where their head coach has outstayed his welcome.
It is time for someone else to take over, and take Bafana forward. If Bafana were superbly organised at the World Cup, too often it felt like their attacking wings were clipped. Broos has laid a superb foundation, but the time for change is now.
