Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has weighed in on the 3-4-2-1 formation he explored with at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the criticism that followed.
Broos deviated from his usual back-four, which he’s done on a few occasions over his five years at the helm, against Morocco in Rabat, Nigeria in the 2023 AFCON semi-final and the last-16 of the 2025 AFCON against Cameroon.
In all three occasions, Bafana has lost, albeit producing impressive displays in the fixtures against the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions.
Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis featured as a double 10 behind Lyle Foster and South Africa created several clear-cut chances, which weren’t taken and went on the be eliminated with a 2-1 defeat in what was the last fixture for the national team.
“I was little bit surprised about the amount of criticism we got about that game, everyone forgot that the first half hour of the game it should have been 2-0 for us because the tactics were good,” Broos said when asked by iDiski Times if he will explore with a back-three again.
“It was not the tactical [formation] to make us lose that game against Cameroon, there were other things but with Rele and Oswin, they did it very well, Cameroon didn’t know what to do. And at a certain moment the coach called and it’s something CAF has to forbid, that their can be a moment of theories that you need to do before the game.
“Then suddenly the keeper was falling down after I don’t know? A drop of rain falling on his head because the coach told him to fall as he needed to speak to the team – they need to stop this things from happening. And then he changed his system for that moment. Will we do it again? I don’t know… it depends on the opponent.
“I knew Cameroon would have big problems with that formation and they did, but we couldn’t go on and continue. First half, okay… second half we were 2-0 down and chasing the game, not clear with the game plan because the pressure is too high.
“But the first half was something, you can say maybe we will do it again one day.”
