Tunisia are interested in luring Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Broos, 71, led South Africa to the semi-finals of the competition and left the Carthage Eagles in the group stage where they finished bottom of Group E.
Sources close to the Tunisian Football Federation suggested they have been left impressed by the Belgian’s work with the bulk of the squad coming from the local league.
Tunisia has traditionally been a national team that makes use of its domestic-based players and with an ageing squad, the country ranked third in Africa coming into AFCON is looking for a new leader to hit the ground running for the 2025 AFCON and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers later this year.
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Broos stated after the semi-final defeat to Nigeria this week that he wants to continue coaching despite an interview in his homeland pre-AFCON suggesting he’s thinking of ending his coaching career.
There were hints of the interest in recent days but in a press conference earlier this week, speaking in French, Broos deflected the speculation saying he has a job to do in South Africa and has to focus on the rest of the tournament.
“I never said that I’m going to stop or that [will] I stop,” he said when asked about retirement after the AFCON.
“I’m very happy in my job as I said a few days ago. The guys give me a lot of satisfaction, a lot. I’m proud as a coach to be a coach of that team. So the rest the future will tell us.”
There’s no surprise to see speculation around his future, despite his contract running until 2026, with the former Cameroon coach publicly expressing issues around the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
However, just yesterday, SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan stated to SABC Sport that a meeting will take place after the 3rd/4th place game against DR Congo to discuss a way forward, with the association keen for the veteran tactician to remain in the project.
Should Tunisia be willing to pay the compensation to buy him out of his contract, the lure of a three-hour flight from Belgium to Tunisia may play a contributing factor to his desire for the move – having previously stated his challenges of being away from his homeland.
Broos has taken Bafana from failing to qualify for AFCON in 2021 to the semi-final of the competition for the first time in 24 years.
Story by Lorenz Kohler (@Lorenz_KO).
