Broos returns respect and the swag to Bafana

When Hugo Broos was announced in May 2021 as the new manager of the South African national football team, the news was received by sneers and jeers if not completely ignored by some of those it affected the most - the SA soccer fraternity. At the time Bafana Bafana, the national team, had not long been labelled a "bunch of losers" by the sports minister Fikile Mbalula. His words cut like a blunt knife, even though the truth is that Bafana were at the time hopeless and lacked confidence. It was fair-game for anyone, including the lowest-ranked nations, to meet Bafana because the chances of scoring a victory over the SA team were real and attainable. So, more than the sports minister, the nation was despondent over Bafana circumstances. Even Broos appointment, despite his known success on the continent, was slammed as that of an old man chasing an easy retirement fund. It was a tough job from the start for the Belgian - having to rouse the players from a comatose of low self-esteem, telling touchy soccer bosses the truths they don't want to hear and setting the media right about its lack of space in the technical forum deciding who to call up. Broos slowly worked his magic, as he appealed to the nation to stop making Bafana play home internationals in empty stadiums. The results turned positive, the fans returned to the stadium for the games and Bafana qualified for the 2023 Ivory Coast Cup of Nations (which played earlier this year) and the team returned home with bronze medals and huge smiles on their faces. Bafana Bafana have qualified for the 2025 Morocco Afcon in great style, topping their group with 14 points and no loss after six qualifying matches. The last qualifier, on Tuesday in Cape Town, was a celebration of entertaining football by Bafana and the love from the fans who packed the stadium to the rafters. Bafana Bafana are on the right track and looking the part with the swagger of champions in their step; one thing South Africans football fans had been missing for a long time until Hugo Broos came along.

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