GOLDEN AGE? Under the leadership of Belgian coach Hugo Broos, Bafana Bafana is on the brink of qualifying for their third FIFA World Cup, revitalising South African football with a remarkable 19-match unbeaten streak and strong performances in their World Cup qualifying Group C. Picture: Sia Kambou/AFP
Image: Sia Kambou/AFP
Coaches come and go, and the one that remains at Bafana Bafana over the last two decades has been a sustained period of mediocrity. Since Hugo Broos joined Bafana in 2021, though, everything has changed.
Though Bafana are only ranked 10th in Africa, they are widely considered one of the best teams in Africa. Their third place at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) last year was testament to that.
They have also now gone 19 matches unbeaten, the best streak of any international team at the moment, even ahead of the mighty Spain.
For comparison, Spain are listed third in the FIFA world ranking, while South Africa are way down in 57th place.
Bafana are currently sitting in top spot in their FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C. Bafana have 13 points after four wins, one draw, and a defeat. They now have a five-point lead over Rwanda and Benin, while Nigeria are down in fourth on seven points.
In fact, the last time South Africa qualified for a FIFA World Cup was in 2002, as they gained automatic entry to the 2010 edition as hosts.
It’s also no secret that Bafana have not achieved anything close to the success they did in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Of course, Bafana’s biggest moment in football was when they won Afcon as hosts in 1996.
What followed was perhaps the golden age of SA football as they qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup (their debut appearance), and they made it two in a row as they appeared at the next edition. Bafana also finished runners-up at the 1998 AFCON, and also claimed bronze in 2000.
Since then, it’s been a barren wasteland of achievement, with a number of foreign coaches like Scotland’s Stuart Baxter (2004-2005, 2017-2019), Brazilians Carlos Alberto Parreira (2007-2008, 2009-2010), and Joel Santana (2009-2009).
Since those Brazilians took charge and achieved little, it was generally accepted that Bafana needed a South African coach. Though that proved a popular decision, the progress continued to stall.
That was until the SA Football Association (Safa) cast aside the local coach theory and once more hired a foreigner in the Belgian Broos.
In Broos, Bafana are now on the verge of qualifying for their third FIFA World Cup and finished third at the AFCON last year. The achievements of Broos speak for themselves, and long may this second golden age of Bafana football continue.
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