Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos will take stock after his team’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) flop and analyse what went right and wrong and how to correct the deficiencies before the 2026 World Cup, he said on their arrival home. South Africa went to the Afcon as dark horses after their unexpected bronze medal in Ivory Coast early in 2024. They were unconvincing in their Group B wins against Angola and Zimbabwe and defeat against Egypt before succumbing to the Indomitable Lions in the opening knockout round.
“We went to Afcon with the goal of doing as well as in the last tournament and maybe better. OK, it didn’t work — we are already home, and it’s a big disappointment. Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says the team was at a disadvantage because some of the teams that were at the AFCON have most of their players playing in European leagues.
He says SA players need to get the opportunity to go to Europe and be challenged more.@Yolulwe_Qoshe…pic.twitter.com/YBRloVTqc6 “On the other hand, I said before Afcon this would be a more difficult tournament than the one before. We were South Africa [before], and now we were the bronze medal winners. It was tougher for us to play the games.
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“Also, in the previous Afcon, in the group stage, teams such as Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, all those big countries were out. Now all those big countries are in the quarterfinals. So that shows how difficult this Afcon was.” “And you know with the experience of 40 years [coaching] that when everything is good, all those guys have to shut up, but when you have a defeat, they have big mouths.
So, they have big mouths now, and I know that, and I can manage that. [WATCH] “Hugo Broos is going nowhere. How do you blame the coach when players don’t score? Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie says the Bafana Bafana coach will continue with the team to the World Cup in the USA.”#Newzroom405pic.twitter.com/kTjq8MMfAV
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