Broos sticks to his guns as Bafana Bafana look to build on Afcon success

Hugo Broos hasn't become the longest-serving Bafana Bafana coach by listening to outside noise — and that’s why the buck will always stop with him when it comes to team matters.

Broos recently etched his name into the national team’s history, becoming their longest-serving coach and surpassing Clive Barker’s record after serving for four years. Things weren’t all rosy at the beginning. Broos even considered resigning during the first few months in the role, following heavy criticism from most quarters.

Much of the backlash came after Bafana were hammered 5–0 by world champions France away from home and lost 2–1 to Africa’s top-ranked side, Morocco.

However, the tide turned after the talismanic Themba Zwane was brought into the fold and Broos received a vote of confidence from Safa president Danny Jordaan. That support paid off as Bafana secured a podium finish — third place — at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, their first in over two decades.

Since then, the South Africans have continued to build momentum, finishing top of their group after an unbeaten run in qualifiers for the 2025 Afcon finals in Morocco. Bafana are also on the brink of qualifying for the 2026 Fifa World Cup — their first potential qualification since hosting the tournament in 2010.

Speaking to the media in Polokwane on Monday ahead of Bafana’s friendlies against Tanzania on Friday and Mozambique next Tuesday, Broos reflected on his time at the helm.

“I don’t regret anything,” Broos said. “The way I work will always be the same, so I will always do it my way.

“If I don’t succeed, I will always look at myself in the mirror and say: ‘It’s because of me. I did it like that’. I don’t want to be influenced by anybody. After all, when the results are not forthcoming, then you’ll be sacked as the coach — so it’s better to do it your own way.”

Broos will also stay true to his methods during the two upcoming friendlies, maintaining his commitment to introducing new faces into the team.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the young players who are with us,” Broos added. “There’ll be no pressure; we are playing friendly games, and the results will not be important.

“From my side, I will give every player the same game-time. It’s a little bit difficult for goalkeepers, but we’ll try to ensure each one gets equal minutes, that we have a good camp, and can make a proper evaluation of everyone.

“The performance is important — so we’ll try to do everything to win the two games — but more importantly, we want to assess the players, especially the new ones.”

Broos’ decision to integrate fresh talent is partly due to the absence of Mamelodi Sundowns players, who will be on club duty at the upcoming Fifa Club World Cup.

Despite Sundowns narrowly missing out on a second African crown on Sunday night after losing to Pyramids, their players have formed the core of Bafana—a dynamic Broos is keen to change.

“It’s a good situation for the young players to prove themselves. I will not look and say: ‘This is bad,’” Broos explained. “I will be focusing on their overall performance.

“We’ll also be doing it without the Sundowns players. So, let’s hope that we can find others. Having too many players from one club is not good. It’ll be very interesting for me to see players from other teams in these two friendlies.”

There are still some familiar faces in the squad, including the captain Broos has selected in the absence of Ronwen Williams.

“It was a little bit of a search, but I think with Nkosinathi Sibisi we have a good captain. He has the experience and has been with Bafana since day one,” Broos said.

“He’s a guy who has everyone’s respect. So I think he’ll be the right person to lead the team.”