Broos still learning hard truth about mistrust in South African football

Trust is a rare commodity in South African football. When you have been in the game long enough, you know that back-stabbing is par for the course. And it happens all round, often within the same club.

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos appears to have discovered this for the first time this week. At his arrival press conference ahead of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Nigeria, the Belgian resembled a man who had just seen a ghost when he spoke about the lack of information from the clubs.

Having worked hard to develop a relationship with them, the silver-haired coach was stunned by the response he received from one club when he enquired about the condition of a player he was interested in.

“Their reaction was, ‘we don’t want the opponents to know he is playing’,” Broos said, deep inside the bowels of Dobsonville Stadium.

To say he epitomised the word flabbergasted would be putting it mildly.

“But I will never call the opponents,” he added, clearly finding the insinuation that he might do so absurd.

Well, welcome to South African football, coach. Here, as you are learning, nothing is impossible.

The particular club you spoke to was not necessarily being paranoid. To you, it might have seemed like an affront to your integrity but they were probably bitten before. In South Africa, clubs have lost players they were set to sign because someone leaked information to rivals, who swooped in to complete the deal.

Things are a little more professional these days, but not long ago coaches accepted jobs as “technical directors” knowing full well they were brought in to replace the incumbent. Being colleagues did not matter.

So when you called to check whether that player was fit and received the response you did, it was simply a reflection of ingrained mistrust. That you are not South African, and that you have proved yourself a thorough professional during your time here, was clearly lost on them.

It must be frustrating.

As you noted, you could have called up Thapelo Morena had Mamelodi Sundowns told you he was back to fitness earlier, instead of you being surprised to see him playing nearly a full match just after you had announced your squad.

But such is the way of things here in Mzansi. Back-stabbing, underhandedness and mistrust are commonplace.

So, as you have been doing, perhaps continue relying on your own scouting – whether live, via apps or on TV. It is frustrating, even self-sabotaging, because logic dictates that clubs should bend over backwards to provide information about their players so they can make your squad and gain global exposure.

But not here, in my beloved country. In South Africa, stories abound of people officially employed by one club while secretly feeding information to rivals.

As you go about your mission of securing World Cup qualification, my advice is to keep an open mind, because South African football has the potential to shock you to an early grave. And just as they do not trust you, do not trust them either – not even your employers, because even they might sabotage you, at their own expense.