Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos became public enemy number one among South African football fans after his World Cup opener line-up fiasco on Thursday.
We might need to recall Hugo Broos's very first press conference to understand his highly experimental approach with Bafana Bafana on Thursday. However, we have come too far – Broos must revert to the Bafana team we know and focus on competing.
In May 2021, Broos addressed the media for the first time after being appointed Bafana coach. The briefing was largely about vindication and justifying why he, at 69 years of age, was the right man to give the team a new lease on life.
The Belgian did more than just that. He made bold promises, opening himself up to intense criticism should he fail to reach certain targets, including qualifying for the 2023 and 2025 Afcon tournaments and the 2026 Fifa World Cup, all while "waking up a sleeping giant."
Boy, did he tick every box. He overachieved, with Bafana securing a podium finish at the 2023 (delayed) Afcon for the first time in more than two decades. He qualified for the next Afcon without a loss and eventually secured qualification for the global showpiece.
