Alex Song credits Broos for South Africa’s massive transformation

Former Cameroon international and Arsenal midfielder Alex Song gave positive reviews about South Africa men’s national team manager Hugo Broos.

South Africa had been at their lowest ebb, having posted poor Africa Cup of Nations campaigns and missing out on the FIFA World Cup since hosting in 2010.

Bafana Bafana exited the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the group stage on home soil before missing the finals for the 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions in Brazil, Russia and Qatar respectively.

The Belgian tactician has succeeded in transforming the former African champions into a winsome side, qualifying them for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast where they claimed bronze.

Song, who was at the CAF interclub competition draws in Johannesburg on Thursday, believes the 73-year-old’s qualities must be extolled.

“I think we have to congratulate him because he did a good job in Cameroon and now he [has] come here. I remember in my mind [that] Bafana Bafana, they were not doing very good and now Hugo Broos we have to congratulate him because of how he started doing the job here, he is doing a very good job here,” Song told Soccer Laduma.

“When you look at Bafana Bafana in the past, they had very good players [and] when I was young I was watching them play, Benni McCarthy, John Moshoeu [and] all those guys, I was dreaming when I was seeing Bafana Bafana.”

“And then they go down and now they have come back, we are happy like I am saying Bafana Bafana is one of the biggest national teams on our continent and how they are doing very good now, I am happy for them because you guys will go to the World Cup and it’s been a long time you went to the World Cup and now I’m sure everybody is behind the national team.”

Broos’ work rate also propelled the 2013 AFCON quarterfinalists to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this year as well as direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by Canada, USA and Mexico.