Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has described South Africa’s FIFA World Cup campaign as a success despite their heartbreaking last-32 exit, while leaving the door open to a possible U-turn on his previously announced retirement.
Before the tournament, the Belgian had indicated that the World Cup would mark the end of his spell with Bafana. However, following South Africa’s elimination, Broos revealed that he wants time to process the emotions of the campaign before deciding whether he will remain in charge.
“We will see in the next days if I go or if I stay,” Broos said when asked about his future.
He also dismissed speculation linking potential successors to the role.
“If I can believe the rumours, because this morning people came to me and talked about all the candidates who are now to follow me up. We will see in the next days if I go or if I stay.”
Broos admitted the defeat was difficult to accept but insisted South Africa should be proud of what they achieved in North America.
“Even I think this World Cup was a success for Bafana Bafana. We are very disappointed today because it’s never nice to lose and know that you’ll be going home. But we also have to be honest – there was more power and more speed in the team of our opponents.”
The veteran coach once again highlighted what he believes is the biggest challenge facing the one time African champions.
“I’ve said it already many times. There’s a lack of speed and power in South African football, and that’s something we have to work on.”
Asked why the same starting XI that had impressed in the previous match failed to replicate that performance, Broos refused to single out players in the immediate aftermath of the defeat.
“This is a disappointment for us because we have to go home. It’s certainly not the moment or the place to start evaluating players or the team.”
Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, Broos said his side had broken new ground and gained invaluable experience that could benefit the team in future competitions.
“For sure, we played a historical World Cup. We were in the second round; that never happened before. This is an inexperienced team at that level, so we learned a lot during those four games we played here. It will certainly help us in the next months to qualify again for AFCON and to become better also.”
Whether those improvements come under Broos remains to be seen, but after previously signalling that the World Cup would be his final assignment, the 74-year-old appears set to take time before making what could be the biggest decision of his international coaching career.
Written by: Sandile Ndumo
