Johannesburg – It’s often said that talk is cheap. But the manner the new Bafana Bafana coach speaks about football, he oozes confidence, making one wonder why Safa waited so long before roping in this old Belgian man as the national team coach.
The 69-year-old Broos’ coaching credentials on the continent are well-documented. He qualified and took the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon all the way to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Gabon and tasted victory.
He competed at the World Cup prelude tournament, the Confederations Cup in Sochi, Russia, in 2017. Bafana’s new mentor has also coached Trabzonspor in Turkey, Panserraikos in Greece and Algeria’s NA Hussein Dey and Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie.
A new dawn is upon us under Broos and Bafana’s erratic performances could be a thing of the past as the coach pinpointed some of the weakness – worrisome sieve backline and the leaky defence – as he watched the matches of the abortive Afcon qualification for Cameroon 2022 under axed former coach Molefi Ntseki.
Broos was also bold enough to put his life on the line, saying if Bafana do not make the cut to the Afcon in the Cote d’Ivoire in 2023, we can lynch him.
The East Europe-based mentor also observed that Bafana concede early in matches, except during matches against African minnows Sao Tome, an aspect of the game that has dogged the Bafana for years, contributing to the failure to make the cut to the World Cup since Korea-Japan in 2002.
Broos appears like a man who enjoys football flair, which he describes as “fancy football” and which can be achieved with a team of predominantly young players, not 30-yearolds or more, which was the case under Ntseki.
In his plans to rebuild the Bafana brand, he gives an example of Cameroon, where he worked with young players, moulding the youngsters to be motivated and hungry to win.
That said, we should look forward to a total revamp of the national squad, a team that can compete and beat the best in Africa and perhaps the best the world has to offer.
To crown it all, he subscribes to the philosophy that his assistants are not just ball boys, but his equals, working together towards the same goal.
Broos’ first official assignment will be Bafana’s 2022 World Cup Group G qualifiers, where they will meet Zimbabwe away and Ghana at home. Good Luck…
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