Bafana coach Hugo Broos says beleaguered Congo ‘will go to the limits to win’

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos said despite the difficulties that Congo Brazzaville are experiencing, they have professional players in the squad who will be highly motivated for tonight’s match against South Africa.

By yesterday morning, there was no sign of the Congo national team to play South Africa in a Group K Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha tonight (7pm kick-off).

But late last night, the SA Football Association stated on their website: “The visitors (Congo) finally arrived in the Eastern Cape on Thursday afternoon, and had their first training session at the match venue in the evening.”

Broos said yesterday: “This is an Afcon match, and it is a very important tournament for African players. They rate Afcon higher than the World Cup. The preparation may not be good for them, but certainly, when the game starts, they will be playing for a good result here.

“We can expect a motivated team from Congo. I know from experience once their opponents get one or two goals, they will give up – but otherwise, they will fight all the way.

“We must not focus on that; perhaps they did not train or have a press conference. That is not ideal, but those guys will go to the limits to win.”

Bafana Bafana MD-1 training session at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, in Gqeberha.#BafanaPride #AfconQualifier pic.twitter.com/qu4blAy0oW

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) October 10, 2024

The last time a football team from Congo Brazzaville was scheduled to play in South Africa, the team arrived on matchday.

A few weeks ago, Congo outfit AS Vita Club arrived in Cape Town hours before the kick-off for their CAF Confederation Cup match against Stellenbosch FC.

The team is run by the Congolese Football Federation (Fecofoot), who have had their fair share of problems in recent months.

A few weeks ago, the side were punished with a 3-0 defeat for not showing up for their World Cup qualifier in neighbouring DR Congo against Niger.

Last week, Fecofoot were locked out of their offices. The Congolese Football Federation, the governing body of football, has yet to name the squad to play South Africa, and the Congolese FA and the government have clashed.

Broos said his sole focus was on tonight’s match.

“I heard about those things that happened in Brazzaville, but what can we do? We play at home against Congo, and after that, we will see,” said Broos.

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has again downplayed Congo’s challenges ahead of tomorrow’s #AFCONQ2025 match. The Congolese national team finally arrived this afternoon.

📹 #SABCSport’s @Velile_Mnyandu #SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/DJiRzumZ7r

— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) October 10, 2024

“Let’s focus on the game and focus on a victory.

“In the end, the match is on the pitch. It is not about the things that happen outside.

“Congo is more of a technical team, not a powerful team that plays football. That doesn’t mean they are bad.

“You have seen the past results were not positive, and we don’t have to make them feel there’s a chance to get a point here.

“We don’t underestimate an opponent like this. For us, we need to play our game, and if we can succeed with that and have the right mindset...”

Isaac N’Gata, the Congo coach, has built his team around the 26-year-old Merveil Ndockyt, an attacking midfielder who plays for Croatian club HNK Gorica.

He has previously played for Spanish clubs like FC Barcelona, Getafe and Mallorca, and has a penchant for scoring goals from deep options.

Up front, Congo has a towering centre-forward, Silvere Ganvoula, who plies his trade for Swiss Super League club Young Boys. He will be a real threat because his height could cause problems, especially at set-piece time.

Antoine Makoumbou, who plays for Cagliari in Serie A, is the kingpin in defence. He is a midfielder, but plays in central defence for the national team.