Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos says the impressive run in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has European clubs sniffing for talent, and perhaps it’s the chance to take the national team to the next level.
South Africa came into the tournament in Ivory Coast with 20 players based in the DStv Premiership, the most domestic-based players of any team in the current edition.
And they defied all expectations by reaching the semi-finals where they fell short on penalties against tournament favourites Nigeria, while beating Morocco and Cape Verde en route to the last-four.
“We’re the only team with so many local players, it took time to convince the players that they have all the qualities to produce big performances at tournaments like this,” Broos said about the performances, having been questioned about his squad selection.
“Then you need results, if they don’t follow, then it’s very difficult to understand [and believe] what the coach is telling you.
“The results are there, we beat Morocco, we beat DRC, we played a good game against Ivory Coast, so the confidence became more [coming into AFCON], then here we were extremely motivated to show something.
“I felt that from all the players, they wanted to show something. The players now also know [what they can do], there’s interest in some players, they know also now this is the level they need to show their skills.
“I think they did more than expected of them, they adapted very quickly to this level and that means they have qualities, but again, it should be good to play every week a game like this; you will become better, it’s normal, when you play good teams at a high level.
“You become better, also I’m very happy with this AFCON that we showed also that South Africa has good players and there are some players now that European teams are interested so that means that we did very well and the players showed they are playing at a higher level than the league in South Africa.”
The 71-year-old, who won the 2017 AFCON with Cameroon in his first foray into international management, went on to discuss how they can move forward.
With the 2025 AFCON in Morocco and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on the horizon within the duration of his contract, he insinuated that if players aren’t making the strides to bigger leagues in Europe, the competitiveness of the domestic competition needs to improve.
Sundowns are undoubtedly the strongest team in South Africa at present – but he emphasised the need for the rest of the clubs to perhaps improve, to create better competition for players to reach their potential and be ready for international football.
“My opinion is always, a national team doing well, automatically, the rest will follow [within the organisation]. I said already a few times, it’s necessary the level on the PSL, the local competition has to increase,” Broos explained.
“Some people tell me, ‘yes, you see coach, even with local players, we can reach the semi-final of AFCON’. It’s true, I know but we have to see the level we reached, it’s not the level that PSL has.
“It’s normal. But if we go back now to that level of PSL, maybe we decrease the level of the national team – that’s why it’s important that we proved something of the national team. Everybody sees now that yes, and the players see this is another level.
“Countries who have players who play in Europe, it’s easier for them because they play every week on that level – let’s hope now that in South Africa, they are convinced of that.
“I don’t know when but was have to discuss that and we can increase that level. I think then what we’ve done at [AFCON] makes me feel we can be an important country in African football again.”
