THE NEW (OLD) BAFANA
Soccer Club|May 2023
Coach Hugo Broos has been forced into a U-turn after his initial plans for Bafana Bafana turned out to be folly
Mark Gleeson
THE NEW (OLD) BAFANA

South Africa coach Hugo Broos was barely in the job when he made a statement that has come back to haunt him... and his team.

The veteran Belgian coach, now 70, told his employers, and the public, he wanted to rebuild the national side after South Africa had failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals, a disappointment that cost predecessor Molefi Ntseki his job.

Broos, who was not the first choice for the Bafana job, but had won the Cup of Nations title with Cameroon in 2017, had watched videos of the poor performances against Ghana and Sudan and concluded there was a lack of fight in the South Africa camp.

Continuing with the same players would not serve his cause and he prefers, anyway, to work with younger players and, given he had signed a five-year contract, had plenty of time to build.

It was a pronouncement that met with almost universal applause. Pushing the agenda of youth in football is an obsessive topic in South African football, although the reality is that it is but a fantasy and a long distance from reality.

South Africa were about to embark on their World Cup qualifying campaign and turning to players aged 25 and under to try and qualify for Qatar did not strike any of the South African Football Association as something of a suicide mission. They might have told him to hold off on the revamp and use more experienced players to give Bafana Bafana a better shot.

But Broos was allowed to leave players such as Themba Zwane and Bradley Grobler out of the squad, and it came as no surprise when the national team failed to get past the group stage, the controversy of a penalty in their last game in Ghana providing some cover for Broos as SAFA made a comically unrealistic bid to try and reverse the result by claiming the referee cheated.

Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Soccer Club.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Soccer Club.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SOCCER CLUBSe alt
WORLD BEATER
Soccer Club

WORLD BEATER

MANCHESTER CITY AND SPAIN MIDFIELDER RODRI HAS BEEN COLLECTING TROPHIES IN HUGE NUMBERS IN RECENT SEASONS AND IS A KEY MAN FOR CLUB AND COUNTRY

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
WHO ARE CLUB BRUGGE?
Soccer Club

WHO ARE CLUB BRUGGE?

Shandre Campbell has recently joined Club Brugge in Belgium, but he is not the first South African to play there. Who are the team known as the Blue-Black?

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
LOST ART
Soccer Club

LOST ART

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE GREAT FREE-KICK TAKERS IN FOOTBALL?

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
BACK TO THE START
Soccer Club

BACK TO THE START

HAASHIM DOMINGO HAS A FRESH START AT CAPE TOWN CITY, WHERE HE COULD TAKE THE LEAGUE BY STORM, ACCORDING TO HIS NEW BOSS

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
FROM BADGERS TO BRISTOL
Soccer Club

FROM BADGERS TO BRISTOL

SOUTH AFRICA'S LOSS IS THE UK'S GAIN WITH DYNAMIC ROMANEY PINNOCK HAVING TAKEN CHARGE AS THE HEAD OF BRISTOL CITY WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
READY TO PLUNDER
Soccer Club

READY TO PLUNDER

SELAELO RASEBOTJA HAS ARRIVED AT ORLANDO PIRATES WITH BIG EXPECTATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

time-read
2 mins  |
October 2024
CITY OF GOLD
Soccer Club

CITY OF GOLD

THE GAUTENG PROVINCE, MORE SPECIFICALLY JOHANNESBURG HAVE PRODUCED THE RICHEST RESERVOIR OF TOP FOOTBALLING TALENT FOR SOUTH AFRICA

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
LONG-TERM TARGET
Soccer Club

LONG-TERM TARGET

KAIZER CHIEFS ENDED THEIR LONG PURSUIT OF DEFENDER RUSHWIN DORTLEY WHEN HE WAS SIGNED IN THE LAST TRANSFER WINDOW

time-read
3 mins  |
October 2024
REMEMBERING SENZO
Soccer Club

REMEMBERING SENZO

THIS MONTH MARKS 10 YEARS SINCE ORLANDO PIRATES AND BAFANA BAFANA GOALKEEPER SENZO MEYIWA WAS TRAGICALLY KILLED

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024
MIRACLE MAN
Soccer Club

MIRACLE MAN

QUIET AND UNASSUMING, XABI ALONSO HAS EMERGED AS ONE OF THE TOP COACHES IN WORLD FOOTBALL

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2024