South Africa coach Hugo Broos - Photo SAFA Media
The longstanding club versus country issue in South Africa almost popped up again as South Africa prepared for tonight’s final Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group K qualifier match against South Sudan in Cape Town.
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was asked at a media conference on Monday whether Mamelodi Sundowns had requested that their players be excused early from camp in light of the club’s league cup final on Saturday, and the Belgian politely batted the question away with a straightforward response.
“Sundowns players are till tomorrow after the game players of Bafana Bafana and they stay players of Bafana Bafana,” he told the media in Cape Town.
In South Africa club allegiances often trump those of the national teams. This disconnect between clubs and the national teams has been slow to repair, despite the country being re-admitted to international football following the dawn of a democratically elected government in 1994. Broos, appointed coach in May 2021, has yet to set up an official meeting with all the club coaches despite making that request early into his tenure.
With his curt reply Broos made little of the query, and instead focused on the game which holds little more than academic interest. While group leaders Bafana Bafana and second-placed Uganda already secured qualification for Morocco 2025, the coach is eyeing victory to seal top spot.
South Africa, and the Cranes, were secured qualification for next year’s tournament before they faced each other on Friday in their penultimate group game. The day before, the group’s bottom side, South Sudan, beat the Congo Republic 3-2, a result which ensured that the East Africans and Bafana Bafana had secured their ticket to Morocco 2025.
“I think you are looking to two very happy men after a qualifying game against Uganda last Friday,” said Broos. "At the other end, you are also looking at two men who are still not satisfied – not satisfied because we want to win the game of tomorrow. This is not a friendly game for us. It’s an important game because we want to be first in the group, and we also want to show something, if my information is right, to the crowd who will be tomorrow in the stadium."
“So, we got two amazing evenings in Bloemfontein and in PE with a crowd in the stadium and with a nice win. So, we will do that again tomorrow here in Cape Town. That means that we are still motivated for the game of tomorrow, and again, it’s very important for us that we can finalise those qualifiers as first in the group. It should be the cherry on the top, like people say.”
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