There is plenty of work to do, but it must be done by Broos.
It’s too easy to throw the Hugo Broos out with the bathwater following Bafana Bafana’s early exit from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Broos and Bafana’s poor AFCON
Bafana didn’t play well at this year’s AFCON, certainly not as well as they did in finishing third under Broos at the previous edition.
Their defending was unreliable and their attack inconsistent. But to suggest Broos should not lead the team at the World Cup later this year is reactive and frankly ridiculous.
The Belgian’s body of work since taking over Bafana speaks for itself. Under his guidance, South Africa have exceeded expectations. It is fair to say no one expected the side to get a bronze medal at the 2023 AFCON.
And no one expected Bafana to top a World Cup qualifying group that included Nigeria.
While other countries on the continent can rely heavily on players from the top leagues in Europe, Broos does not have that luxury.
He has had to, in the main, mould the best of Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, and the rest into a force to be reckoned with.
There is certainly plenty to work on for Broos and his technical team in the months ahead.
Bafana’s defensive wobbles are concerning. Mbekezeli Mbokazi is a real find at centre back but the jury is out on his central defensive partner Siyabonga Ngezana.
The side lacks a bit of creativity in the middle of the park too and the Sipho Mbule experiment didn’t really work at this AFCON.
Themba Zwane was badly missed but will the veteran Sundowns star be able to get back his form and fitness over the next few months?
An adept coach
But it is certainly best to leave this to Broos to figure out. The Belgian has shown himself adept at solving most of Bafana’s problems in his time in charge.
Sometimes a defeat like the one against Cameroon on Sunday can be more instructive than a victory.
If Bafana learn from their errors in that match and produce a good result against Mexico in the opening match of the World Cup, it will all have been worth the pain.
