Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos would have become the coach of Tunisia had his demands been met by the North African country.
Broos was linked with a move north when he led South Africa to an impressive third place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations early this year.
The veteran Belgian coach saw his stock rise thanks to the good performance and there was reported interest from Algeria and Tunisia.
It has now emerged that it was the Carthage Eagles who made an approach but bulked away after learning the demands of the 72-year-old, who insisted that he must come with his own backroom staff, which would have proved costly.
Broos’ demands too much for Tunisia
“Hugo Broos, we wanted him. The problem is that he wanted to come with his entire staff and it will cost us 2.9 million euros per year. We don't have that budget,” Chedly Rahmani, a member of the Tunisian Football Association, told local radio Mosaique FM.
The revelation comes months after Broos denied that he had been approached, insisting that he was committed to South Africa.
“I heard rumours that Algeria were interested, that Tunisia were interested, and some other teams, also Brugges,” Broos told the media in March.
Will Bafana coach see out his contract?
“But again, there are no negotiations. I didn’t see the people of Brugge. I know only that I am on the list and one of the candidates, so let’s see what happens in the future.
“I have a contract until 2026, so if there will be a moment that maybe I can leave or want to leave South Africa, then I still have to negotiate with SAFA.”
Tunisia’s loss was South Africa’s gain as Broos has sealed qualification to AFCON 2025, after topping their group, and are in a good position in their qualifying pool for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
