Bafana’s Broos is full of fight but the proof will be in the Morocco pudding
The Bafana coach has hit out at his critics but now is the time for him to show what he can do in Afcon qualifying.
Hugo Broos has hit back at critics of Bafana Bafana. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix.
Hugo Broos was in fighting mood ahead of his Bafana Bafana side’s trip to Morocco for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Atlas Lions in Rabat on Thursday.
Then again, there doesn’t seem to be too many days when Broos isn’t in a fighting mood, whether he is questioning Victor Letsoalo’s scoring prowess, refusing to apologise for not selecting fan favourites Andile Jali and Themba Zwane, or complaining that Premier Soccer League coaches don’t seem to want to meet him.
This week’s subject of Broos’ ire was less specific, more of a general annoyance towards those who dared to criticise Bafana for losing 5-0 to France in a friendly at the end of March.
It appears to be of deep shock to the Bafana coach, that people in this country should be anything but fully behind the senior national team. In one sense he has a point – France are a team jam-packed with world class talent. And Bafana are not. So what exactly did people expect to take place in Lille?
This was more about the experience of a fired-up atmosphere against quality opposition, and could indeed prove to be good preparation for Morocco in Rabat on Thursday.
If the Caf Champions League final was anything to go by, the atmosphere in Morocco is set to be intense, to say the least, and the Atlas Lions, while not quite on the same level as France, also have a squad packed with talent from across Europe.
Bafana are clear underdogs against the second-ranked team in Africa, and the reality is that anything other than a win for Morocco will be surprising.
A team does not suddenly improve simply by playing a team that is better than them – South Africa have played plenty of world class opposition in the past and it hasn’t noticeably improved them.
In this sense, Broos’ words on how much this France game will benefit Bafana seem a little hollow.
And yet, if he can get a result against Morocco, no doubt the Bafana coach will feel justified.
It is certainly a far more important match than any friendly – even Broos has said that he is happy to be judged on whether or not he can qualify Bafana for the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast next year.
He should really be judged on a bit more – getting to an Africa Cup of Nations should not really be that hard, now that they have expanded the tournament.
Bafana also have a slight advantage in this campaign, in that one of their opponents, Zimbabwe have already been banned by Fifa.
The likelihood is that four points against Liberia in home-and-away games will be enough to get South Africa to the Ivory Coast.
With this in mind, a decent performance at the tournament should also be required from Bafana, on top of qualification.
A point or more against Morocco will be an added bonus, but it is hard to see Broos’ side getting anything out of Morocco on the road, though they may well have a chance against the Atlas Lions back on home soil.
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