Broos, Bafana between a rock and a hard place
• Coach’s brave words in 2021 about qualifying for Afcon 2023 may return to haunt him on Tuesday against Liberia
“If Bafana Bafana don’t qualify for the 2023 Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations], you can kill me.”
Those bold words, uttered on May 12 in 2021 by Hugo Broos at his first news conference as the 19th different coach to take charge of SA’s senior men’s national team, could come back to haunt him at about 8pm on Tuesday.
Anything less than victory or a 2-2 draw or more against Liberia in Monrovia will see Bafana eliminated from the race to qualify for January’s Afcon in Ivory Coast.
No wonder the former Belgium international stormed off the pitch immediately after Mohammed Sangare, who plays for Accrington Stanley in England’s third-tier, netted a stunning injury-time equaliser to secure a priceless 2-2 draw for the Lone Stars. For their newly appointed coach Ansu Keita, it was mission accomplished.
An irate Broos initially refused to attend the compulsory post-match media briefing before appearing briefly and refusing to take questions.
The anger of Broos, who turns 71 next month, was understandable as it was a game his side should have won comfortably had they converted just one more of the plethora of giltedged chances they created.
Still, despite the obvious frustration over tossing away a twogoal lead — on home territory too — it’s unbecoming of a national team coach to behave in such a fashion. He duly made a formal apology to the nation the following day, saying his emotions got the better of him.
With Morocco having already qualified from a group that was reduced to a three-horse race due to Fifa’s suspension of Zimbabwe, head-to-head results will be the tiebreaker should Bafana and Liberia finish level on points. A victory for either team, irrespective of the outcome of their respective remaining games against the Atlas Lions, will secure qualification.
Broos will need all his coaching acumen, nous and player management that saw him winning league titles in Belgium with Club Brugges and Anderlecht and guiding an unfancied Cameroon side to their fifth Afcon title in 2017, if he is to avoid a premature end to his five-year contract.
Bafana will have to cope with a highly motivated home side seeking to qualify for their third Nations Cup finals, and their first since 2002. They must also deal with the artificial pitch at the renovated Samuel K Doe Stadium and cope with an expected full-house crowd of 22,000, providing the proverbial 12th man for a home team buoyed by Friday’s draw.
Bafana were by far the better team at Orlando Stadium, but their inability to convert their chances, a frustrating habit that continues to bug and hamstring SA football, together with poor game management when holding a commanding 2-0 lead, came back to bite them badly.
Broos will have to summon the sort of gutsy performance from his players that saw them secure a 3-1 away win over Ethiopia, their only away success under the Belgian, in their 2022 World Cup qualifier in October 2021. Their first job will be to silence the home crowd by either scoring early or seeing out the first 20 minutes without conceding. Much will depend on the temperament and attitude of the players, as well as how badly they want to play at next year’s Afcon.