Bafana Bafana legend and current assistant coach Helman Mkhalele has pointed out similarities he sees between the national team's current coach, Hugo Broos, and former coach Clive Barker.
Helman Mkhalele's career has seen him involved with two of Bafana Bafana's most notable coaches: Clive Barker and Hugo Broos.
As a player, Mkhalele experienced great success under Barker, including the 1995 AFCON victory, the 1998 AFCON final appearance, and qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France.
More recently, he has served as the assistant coach to Hugo Broos since the Belgian's appointment in May 2021. While Clive Barker holds the distinction of being South Africa's most successful national team coach, Hugo Broos has also achieved significant milestones, including winning AFCON bronze in 2024.
Mkhalele identifies two key similarities between the two: their approach to player management and their ability to build players' self-belief. He also noted their high level of trust in their respective teams.
WHAT’S COMMON BETWEEN BROOS AND BARKER
“There are a lot of similarities between Hugo and the late Clive,” Mkhalele told iDiski Times.
“Both of them are excellent at man management – they have a way of getting players to believe in themselves and their capabilities. Coach Clive had a very good relationship with us, not with just friendly good management skills, but he also made us understand why we are in the national team – that we were there to work.
“He made sure we knew what we needed to do and allowed us to operate freely and willingly, not forced or being policed.
“Coach Hugo knows what he wants and what he can get out of his players. He is not complicated in his plans and merely gives the players guidelines to operate within.
“He allows the players to use their own discretion and allows them to think for themselves while making sure they follow the plan. He allows the players to be themselves.
“One of his strengths, and he’s more like Clive in that way, is his ability to handle players, to give them the confidence that they are the best.
“And because his principles are clear, the players find it easier to execute them and also no one wants to disappoint such a coach who shows so much faith and belief in you like I am seeing Hugo do with these players, just like Clive did with us.”
