Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has explained why they chose Pachuca in Mexico to be their base for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Bafana will start their FIFA World Cup campaign against hosts Mexico, in what is the repeat of the opening match during 2010 FIFA World Cup.
With the World’s biggest football tournament fast approaching, national teams are already preparing for it and Bafana are no different.
With Bafana playing two matches in Mexico, the opener against the joint-hosts and the third match against South Korea, Broos and his technical team opted to stay in the South American country.
Broos, who was a player with the Belgium national team back in 1986 when Mexico hosted the World Cup, explained why they chose Pachuca for their base.
“So once the composition of the group was known, I knew that the game of Mexico should be a special game for us, not because it’s Mexico because we have to play that game in high altitude,” Broos told the media.
“The World Cup of 1986 I was here with Belgium, so I knew what I experienced before we should play that game against Mexico, that it is high altitude camp.
“So I met the people of Pachuca already in Washington [after the draw] they proposed to me a location here, I said to them ‘okay, we will see in the next few weeks what we are going to do, what are the best options are and we will let you know’.
“There were few other options but one thing was very important for me is the fact that we should be already in Mexico and start the high altitude camp and not having a trip again. So we took contact again with Pachuca.
“Another thing that was very important is the distance between Mexico City and Pachuca and it’s 85km. But I wanted to see also the facilities, they have to be good, so that’s why yesterday we had the visit of location here in the university and I am very pleased with the facilities.
“Nice pitches where we can train, the fitness room where we can train, the hospital… everything that we need to have a very good preparations for that match.
“So that’s why we decided already yesterday together with my team manager that this will be our home, this will be our base camp for the World Cup in two three months.”
