Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos ahead of the team's departure at OR Tambo International Airport, in Johannesburg on Monday. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos admits the visa delays ahead of the team’s departure to Mexico have been “a little bit stressing,” but they are now fully focused on the upcoming Fifa World Cup 2026.
Broos’s team was left stranded at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) on Sunday morning when they could not board their chartered flight due to some players and members of the technical staff still being without the necessary travel documents.
It required the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to consult with US authorities to clear the runway for Bafana’s departure, with the team eventually heading out of Johannesburg on Monday afternoon.
This delay has led to Bafana losing a full day of preparation ahead of their warm-up match against Jamaica on Friday. However, Broos wants to put the hiccups behind them now, with the opening game against hosts Mexico just less than 10 days away.
“The past days it was a little bit stressing, also with all the problems we had, but again those problems are behind us now and now we focus on what's coming,” Broos said on Monday, at ORTIA.
“Those 10 days will be going very quick, I'm sure of it. Once we are there, we can start working, focusing on the game — the first game against Mexico.
“The Jamaica game is something we needed. We played last week against Nicaragua, but the time between that game and the first game against Mexico was too long. So, I'm happy with Jamaica.
They are 74 on the rankings, so it will be a good opponent. For us, it will be the last test before that opening game, so again, I'm very happy with it.”
The veteran tactician will be experiencing a full-circle moment when he arrives in Mexico. He was part of the Belgian national team that finished third when the quadrennial football jamboree was last played in the Latin American country 40 years ago, in 1986.
Coincidentally, Belgium also faced hosts Mexico in the opening game — just as Bafana will do at the Estadio Banorte in Mexico City on Thursday, June 11. This past experience is vital, as Broos has set up a high-altitude camp at Pachuca, Mexico — located 2 432m above sea level — to prepare the squad.
“I have the experience of 50 years ago with the Belgium team. We also went to a high-altitude camp in Switzerland. So, I knew that we needed that,” he explained.
“We are now one day later, but that cannot influence the adaptation to high altitude. If it should be in two or three days, it will be a big problem. But now, (Tuesday) we are there and we can start to adapt. It's not really a problem that we are one day later.
“I think there is much change also. It's 50 years ago, so it's a long time. Even though the stadium is the same, the stadium has also changed. So, yeah, it will be an emotional moment, I think, when I'll be there, but not more than that.”
Broos also indicated that Mamelodi Sundowns left-back Aubrey Modiba will not participate in the Jamaica friendly, as he is still recuperating from the injury suffered in the CAF Champions League final first leg at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria a fortnight ago.
“I think Aubrey is very close to training with the group,” Broos noted. “Everything goes very well with him."
“So, I expect him maybe not for the game against Jamaica. We will not take any risk with him, but I'm very sure that he will be there for the opening game.”