SAFA boss happy his ‘Madala’ appointment proved doubters wrong

SAFA boss Danny Jordaan is reveling in his appointment of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos.

Jordaan came under fire when he appointed Broos in May 2021 with many South Africans unconvinced by the veteran Belgian tactician who they termed just another Madala (old man).

However, Broos has gone on to prove doubters wrong by turning around the fortunes of Bafana Bafana who are now one of the most respected teams in Africa.

Broos started by instilling discipline in the national team and ensured selection was based on merit while his tactical acumen has made a major difference, helping Bafana Bafana to back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations qualification as well as the 2026 World Cup.

SAFA president vindicated by Broos appointment   

Jordaan is delighted that the ‘old man’ that many called all sorts of names has vindicated his decision to bring him to South Africa.

“They attacked me for bringing Madala but that Madala knows football. He made an analysis of Rwanda, I watched them train for the Rwanda match and he was spot on,” said Jordaan.

“We always had 11 players and if one was injured, we were not worried. [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi was sent off, Lyle Foster was injured but we had other players and we continued.”

The 73-year-old tactician is just not qualifying South Africa to these tournaments but also following it up with great performances as witnessed at AFCON 2023, when they finished third, and there are hopes that they will go one better in 2025 as well as the World Cup.