Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is an honest man. The fact that he’s stuck with his tried and tested players for the Fifa World Cup qualifiers speaks volumes.
Bafana have been the toast of SA football in recent years, qualifying for back-to-back Afcon finals in 2019 and later this year.
The last edition was a success for Bafana as they secured a podium finish after finishing third thanks to a win over the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
And since then, there’s been a huge belief in the national team that they’ll do bigger in the Afcon finals in Morocco come the end of the year.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has announced the squad to face Lesotho and Benin in FIFA World Cup qualifiers to be played on 21 and 25 March 2025, respectively.#BafanaPride@SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/4hITBlSvEo
— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) March 13, 2025
The event in Morocco won’t be easy alright. Bafana didn’t only qualify for the finals by virtue as they topped the group with 14 points after four wins and two draws.
They are in Group B for the finals alongside neighbours Zimbabwe and Angola, while north Africans Egypt complete the group.
Sure, Bafana have already done well by getting to the Afcon finals, but we all know that securing a ticket to the World Cup finals in north America – the US, Mexico and Canada – will mean more.
Bafana are second in Group C with seven points, thanks to two wins, one draw and loss which came against Rwanda.
Qualifying for the World Cup is not only for us as South Africans needing to grace the footballing stage for the first stage since 2010, but the continent and Broos as well.
Bafana are the heavyweights of African having won the Afcon title in 1996, but it’s perhaps now that the nation and continent believes that Broos will succeed.
Broos has played in the World Cup before as a player, but he wants his footballing career to come to full circle by ensuring qualification for the global event as a coach.
The Belgian has already done well alright. Not only has he qualified for back-to-back Afcon finals, but he has also done well in changing the mentality of SA football.
Young players have made their way into the team, with Relebohile Mofokeng who has been the jewel of the local getting national recognition.
Mofokeng has led the Sea Robbers to a second-place spot on the log so far – a spot just behind the reigning champions and log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
But it’s not only Rele that Broos has groomed. He’s only backed the senior guys as well, calling Lyle Foster and Percy Tau to the recent team.
Foster was shooting blanks for Burnley, but he recently scored in the 4-0 win over Luton Town as they made their intentions of returning to the top of the standings next season.
But perhaps, the talking point is how Broos continues to back Tau. The ‘Lion of Judah’ has roared for Bafana in the past, chipping in with standout performance.
Broos, though, has established that he doesn’t have a big match temperament and ‘is not a player’ that will win games for the team’ following his below-par performances at Afcon.
The Belgian is an honest man, again, so much so that he was honest with Tau that if he continues to warm the bench at Al Ahly, he won’t call him up for Bafana.
And so, having moved to Qatar Sports Club, Tau seems to have found his mojo again he’s contributing to the club’s results as they aim to move up from 10th on the log.
The final decision on players will deliver the much needed and deliver on their promise lies solely with Riveiro in the end, bit Broos can’t afford to afford to give up now.
