Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says their squad dominated by the PSL have shown they have the quality to compete but they still need to consistently face opposition at the level exposed to at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
When Broos was appointed as head coach he stated the country could ‘kill him’ if he didn’t qualify for AFCON – after it was achieved, he stated they could kill him if he didn’t qualify for the group stage, which has now also been achieved.
The Belgian has rubbed many the wrong way with his straightforward talk, questioning the standards of players and the DStv Premiership, in general, to compete at the highest level and with only three coaches in his technical team, a stark comparison to the giants of Africa – he’s managed to fulfil his promise.
South Africa finished second behind Mali, with four points, while Namibia, who Bafana trounced 4-0, finished third and qualified for the next round by being one of the best third-placed teams across the six groups at the Nations Cup.
Now Morocco awaits South Africa next week in San Pedro and Broos admits he stands by what he said about the South African top-flight, stating the players require a higher level for club and country to reach their full potential.
“You know there will always be these moments, that we’ll say hey look now we have 18 or 19 players who play in South Africa and we’re now in the next round and then next week we lose against Morocco, then you say [something else],” Broos said when asked by iDiski Times about qualifying with a predominantly local squad.
“I think both these things are true [we have quality in the PSL and we need to raise standards], we learn a lot here, you can be sure, this is what we needed, this is what South African [national] team needed – to have a challenge every game.
“You need a challenge every game to progress, become better and see also the players who the play in South Africa [will go] a level higher and that’s why I always say, when you can increase the level of the [league] in South Africa, you will have better players.
“You will have players who can move easier to Europe, in good teams and this is what South Africa needs, I hope we can do something now by being here and having good results, that’s the first step – let’s hope it can go on.”
South Africa take on the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists on Tuesday at 22h00 at Le Stade Laurent Pokou.
