Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says he knew the team would not fail to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.
The veteran tactician was ready to resign in the event the South African National Team failed to make it for the biennial competition.
However, Bafana went on to finish top of Group K with 14 points after four wins and two draws, while Uganda finished second with a point less.
I am not stupid – Broos
Broos' team controversially missed the 2022 Fifa World Cup after losing the spot to Ghana. Nevertheless, in the 40 games played across all competitions, Bafana have not lost at home. As a matter of fact, they have 21 wins, 14 draws, and five losses – away from home against Ghana, France, Morocco, Rwanda and Mali.
The 73-year-old says he was confident his team would not miss playing in the forthcoming Afcon. He is also convinced Bafana have what it takes to qualify for the Fifa World Cup.
“You know I’m not stupid, I knew we would qualify [for 2025 Afcon],” the former Cameroon coach told the media.
“I said [if we don’t qualify for 2026 World Cup I would leave too], but if you compare the team from two years ago and the team now, there’s a difference of day and night in everything.
“In quality, in power, in results, in whatever you say – there’s a big difference and we worked on it to make this team, it was not easy.”
Nobody understood what I was doing.. no player from Chiefs? What is that?
Broos has further explained why it was tough for him and the technical team to get players they wanted.
“Certainly in the beginning, nobody understood what I was doing, young players, no players from Chiefs, what is that? Nothing was good. Now we are where we are, and everyone is proud of Bafana Bafana at the moment.
“You see the crowds have found their way back to the stadium and that makes me also very proud to see that, it’s nice for the players too. We played games in the Covid period and then in front of nobody.
“You have to play the important game in front of [no fans] this is terrible, everything has changed and we are very happy about that,” Broos concluded.
The next assignment for Bafana will be in March against Lesotho in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier.
