Speaking at his first news conference in May 2021, just a week after being appointed coach of South Africa's men's national team, Belgian tactician Hugo Broos put his life on the line by declaring: "If Bafana Bafana don't qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, you can kill me."
After the team eventually booked their place at the tournament following a nervy 2-1 victory over Liberia in Monrovia at the end of March, Broos upped the stakes by declaring he would again lay his life on the line if his team failed to progress beyond the group stages of the tournament to be staged in the Ivory Coast.
The 71-year-old former central defender, who helped Belgium finish fourth at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, won the UEFA Cup with Anderlecht in 1983 as well as helping the Purple and Whites to win three Belgian Pro League titles and four Belgian Cups.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Soccer Club.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of Soccer Club.
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