In the aftermath of Bafana Bafana’s unsatisfactory showing at the Africa Cup of Nations, it was inevitable coach Hugo Broos would find himself at the centre of a firestorm.
After finishing third at the last Afcon in Ivory Coast two years ago, there had been a weight of expectation on the shoulders of Broos and his players to go a step further.
However, after failing to set the tournament alight in their three group matches, Cameroon shot down SA’s hopes when they beat them 2-1 in the quarterfinals.
Broos said he would take stock after his team’s failure in Morocco and analyse what went right and wrong and how to correct deficiencies ahead of the World Cup.
Not surprisingly, Bafana’s homecoming was a low-key event with much of the focus on how Broos planned to resurrect the team ahead of the Fifa World Cup in June.
Despite calls from some fans for Broos’s dismissal, minister of sport, arts & culture, Gayton McKenzie, rallied behind Bafana’s mentor and said he remained the right man to lead SA at the World Cup.
He said Broos had woken up Bafana and that the national team’s improvement must be credited to the veteran Belgian coach.
Though politicians are not always the best judges of sporting endeavour, McKenzie’s assessment that Broos is the right man for the job is correct.
Though some aspects of Bafana’s play are cause for concern, it would be foolhardy to part ways with Broos only months away from the global showpiece.
Bafana’s next matches will be friendly games in March, where Broos will have an opportunity to fine-tune his squad and tactics.
Broos has hinted there will be changes ahead of the World Cup after some senior players, who were part of the previous edition in Ivory Coast, did not live up to expectations.
Bafana will have the eyes of the soccer world on them when they take on co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in the tournament’s opening match on June 11.
At this late stage, there is no option for Bafana but to stick with Broos despite an underwhelming display in Morocco.
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