Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has once again put his future on the line, announcing he will step down if South Africa fails to qualify for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Broos expressed that it would be “a shame” for the team to miss out, especially considering they are the reigning AFCON bronze medalists and are not in one of the toughest qualification groups.
“It would be a shame if we don’t qualify for AFCON,” Broos said at a press conference in Dobsonville Stadium on Monday. “Honestly, we have the quality to win both of our remaining matches, and we are the AFCON bronze medalists. Can you imagine that the bronze medalist from nine months ago can’t even qualify for the next tournament?”
Despite his confidence in the team, Broos made it clear that failure to qualify is not an option. “I am not thinking about that, because my confidence in this team is big, but we cannot and will not accept it if we don’t qualify for AFCON.”
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Bafana’s final two Group K qualification matches are against Uganda and South Sudan. A win will secure their place in next year’s tournament in Morocco.
First, they will travel to Uganda to face the group leaders, before returning home to host South Sudan at the Cape Town Stadium. South Africa currently sits in second place with eight points, just two behind leaders Uganda, while South Sudan sits at the bottom with zero points.
Broos, 72, previously vowed that South Africans may “kill him” if he fails to guide the team to the tournament in Ivory Coast earlier this year. This time, he made a bold promise: if Bafana fail to win their home match against South Sudan, he will resign immediately.
“If we lose both games, five minutes after the match, I will be on a flight back to Belgium. You can be sure of that,” Broos declared. “If we can’t win… okay, maybe Uganda away is tough, but at home against South Sudan, I tell you, I will immediately take a flight back home, and you will never see me again.”