Euphemistically, Bafana Bafana impressed in the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morroco, a tournament widely regarded as the continent’s World Cup.
SA won two of their three group stages but lost against Cameroon where it mattered the most, the round of 16.
Some pundits are saying coach Hugo Broos must go, and this is what you always expect when people are overcome by emotions and don’t apply logic. Some individuals even reduced the national assets to some form of domestic issue, saying they could not even sleep and wives had to intervene. Really?
Broos raised the expectations of South Africans when most people had lost interest in the senior national soccer team and stopped attending their matches. He arrived, put together a team, and results came. The vibe was back, and people started seeing that Bafana were performing beyond expectations.
Bombing out of the Afcon after the group stages was disappointing because expectations of winning that showpiece were high. Bafana had come back with a bronze medal for finishing third in the same tournament in 2023 in Abidjan, where they defeated the Democratic Republic of Congo 6-5 on penalties.
Fans were optimistic Bafana will go for silver or gold this time. That is what logic says.
Some people say if only Bafana had lost in the finals – only to find we did not look at the preparedness of other nations.
Bafana have, in fact, shocked other countries by their performance, more than they did the South Africans. Countries such as Egypt began to realise there was a problem.
They were content sitting back and waiting for Bafana to attack. That indicated respect. Cameroon did the same.
Bafana play transitional football. In that sense, I have no issue with them losing to Cameroon.
After all, football is about results.
Bafana went there through winning games in qualification for the event, not on a silver platter.
That had become foreign to us; we played in the Fifa World Cup in 2010 by virtue of being the hosts of the first and probably the last World Cup to happen in Africa.
We must be grateful to Broos. We defeated Egypt, and it was a shock. As a result, coach Pitso Mosimane went to coach in the north African country.
Morocco was more prepared than us. So, we just have to accept we’re out of the Afcon and move on.
I’m concerned by people saying Broos must go when he has a huge assignment of leading us in the World Cup to be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the US from June 11.
Where will you find a coach ready to lead a national soccer team in four months?
Broos indicated he was retiring after the World Cup; we should be concerned about what happens when he goes.
Some people did not even kick a ball in their lives, only finding themselves in the playground when they crossed to another section of the township.
From nowhere, they are now experts with an opinion. The late former Bafana coach, Clive Barker, used to say a team of analysts and fans will never lose a game, simply because it will never get to play football.
Some did not even give a scientific analysis of the game but just said Broos must go.
American rapper Tupac Amaru Shakur warned that we must not blame people for disappointing us but instead blame ourselves for putting our hopes on people to help us.
The syndrome of entitlement is messing us up as South Africans. I mean, Broos must go? Really?
Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou found himself in that chorus after losing his first two games at the club. But look what he’s doing now.
Broos is, so far, the only coach who has been with the national team for the longest time; maybe Barker, but I stand to be corrected.
They don’t last due to all our theory. We’re so eager to get rid of coaches.
Broos has brought stability, and he plays predominantly with locally-based players, exactly what Shakes Mashaba did with Bafana to earn so much hatred from many analysts.
Bafana is now a force to be reckoned with.
Had we beaten Cameroon, there would be scandals after scandals coming out because Samuel Eto’o, who is president of the Cameroonian Football Federation, is pushing his agenda.
This phenomenon of saying a coach must go has affected Kaizer Chiefs, which has not recovered since the departure of Giovanni Solinas in 2018.
Bafana are consistent; just allow Broos to do his job, and he knows what he’s doing and who he wants for Bafana to go to the World Cup.
Don’t rule out the return of Themba Zwane, who was left out for Morocco due to injuries. Thembinkosi Lorch is doing wonders with Wydad Casablanca in Morocco while Gift Links is a force with Aarhus in Denmark
As far as I’m concerned, Bafana are respected on the continent today due to consistency.
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