A Winning Formula: Khumalo Compares Hugo Broos to Clive Barker

Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo recently drew a parallel between the coaching styles of Hugo Broos and the late Clive Barker, who led the team to the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations victory. 

Speaking before Bafana's FIFA World Cup qualifier against Nigeria, Khumalo lauded Broos for his commitment to continuity and his strategy of maintaining a stable core of players, a method he believes is key to the team’s recent success.

Khumalo highlighted that Barker also relied on a consistent squad, with a significant portion of the team remaining the same from match to match. He credits this approach for helping Broos effectively instill his tactical philosophy.

KHUMALO ON IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING CORE OF PLAYERS

“When he came, he was not too sure about our DNA,” Khumalo remarked, “But I think he got it right and he continued where Clive left off because Clive had a core of players that would find in that team like 80% to 90%. And that’s exactly what Hugo is doing.”

“So, he kept the core of players and probably one or two he would introduce because some changes are due to football problems like injuries, suspensions and maybe out of form from club level.

“So, you remember Clive once dropped me because he thought I was flat. So, it was footballing problem but he kept the core.

“Hugo kept the core of the players and that’s the reason why his philosophy is adaptable by the boys and to implement it. That’s exactly what he did. He understands the kind of players he wants for that particular game.”