Hugo Broos has delivered on the promise to take Bafana Bafana to greater heights by leading the team to qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
After he was appointed as the South African senior national team coach in 2021, Broos challenged Mzansi to 'kill' him if he didn't qualify Bafana for the tournament.
True to his promise, the experienced Belgian mentor has booked a place for Bafana in the tournament to be held in Ivory Coast from January – February 2024 after defeating Liberia 2-1 on Tuesday evening.
Doing It The Hard Way
Prior to the game on Tuesday, there had been worries and fears from Mzansi about the team possibly messing things up in their quest for qualification.
In the first leg fixture against Liberia in Orlando last Friday, Bafana squandered a 2-0 lead to end up drawing 2-2.
Broos was visibly upset with the result and that seemed to send a wrong message to the football fraternity about the coach's confidence in the team's qualification chances.
The 70-year-old refused to speak to the media after the match.
Broos Had The Last Laugh
Soon after the announcement of the Bafana starting line-up in Monrovia, there was an uproar on social media with critics showing their disapproval of his player selection.
Two-goal hero from the first leg match Lyle Foster was dropped to the bench, altough the coach has since explained that the striker wasn't feeling well and he didn't want to risk him.
Zakhele Lepasa and Mihlali Mayambela were some of the notable changes as they started, while Innocent Maela and Nyiko Mobbie joined Siyanda Xulu and Mothobi Mvala in defence, with Sphehelo Sithole coming in to add steel in central midfield.
The Siya crew caught up with former Kaizer Chiefs coach Sergio dos Santos to discuss Bafana's qualification and progress.
The Good
Broos Stuck To What He Believes In…
"There's only one thing that gives you satisfaction and the satisfaction comes when you know that you have succeeded. And we succeeded when people thought that we were not going to succeed. Because of the draw at home, we thought we were going to be in trouble. But you've got to take off to Hugo Broos. I actually posted that on Facebook. He stuck to what he believes in whether it's wrong or right. He made a lot of changes and when I saw the line-up coming out with those changes, I thought goodness me, he's taking one big chance here. I mean, he left out Lyle Foster who scored two goals in the previous game. Fortunately for Bafana, the players that came in did the job, especially at the back because in the previous game the defence was very bad. During the win in Liberia, they were much organised. I think the boys did very well," said Dos Santos.
The Bad
Liberia Got A Little Overconfident…
"I think Liberia got a little bit excited because they were playing at home. They were playing a lot of long balls and they stretched the game. They went for the throat and Bafana were able to keep the shape and absorbed all the pressure. Technically, our players are much better than Liberia. When we got the possession, we were able to keep the ball for long periods of time, which was very good. The field didn't look like a full-size field but it looked a little bit smaller and that also suited our players," said the coach.
The Ugly
Advice To Ronwen Williams
"I have noticed this before and I feel I must make a comment on it and it's about Ronwen Williams. Fantastic goalkeeper and there's no question about it, he's the number one goalkeeper in South Africa at the moment. However, he has one thing in his game which worries me a lot and I've seen it time and again. He puts himself in right positions but when the shot is struck he is standing still and that is costing him. He gets into positions and when a player is taking the shot, he is not moving his feet and then he wants to dive and is getting caught in doing that. That is something that whoever is coaching him must work on it. That's my opinion and I used to coach goalkeepers when I was a coach and I think I know a little bit about these things," the mentor said.
A Little Bit Of Life For Broos…
"If you look at the squad that was selected, there is obviously a place for a few others to come in. But I think that he (Broos) has picked a squad of players that are going to give him a little bit of life. I think that he is on the right track because there's a nice balance of experience and youth. So, that is very promising," concluded Dos Santos.
Bafana With All The Credentials To Lead Bafana To New Heights
While it remains debatable if Broos would be a long-term solution to development of football in Mzansi, the experienced coach has achieved what hasn't been done by the team in years.
With this qualification, Bafana will be participating in its first continental competition since 2019.
Confident as he is, Broos has again challenged Mzansi public to 'kill him' if the team fails to make it past the group stages in Ivory Coast.
"I said that people should kill me if we do not go to the AFCON, and now that we have made it, they should kill me if we do not go through the group phases of the tournament," said Broos after the win in Monrovia.
