Broos and Bafana between a rock and a hard place

“If Bafana Bafana don’t qualify for the 2023 Afcon, you can kill me.”                 

Those bold words, uttered on May 12 in 2021 by Hugo Broos at his first news conference as the 19th different coach to take charge of SA’s senior men’s national team, could come back to haunt him at about 8pm on Tuesday. 

Anything less than victory or a 2-2 draw or more against Liberia in Monrovia will see Bafana eliminated from the race to qualify for January’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast.  

No wonder the former Belgium international stormed off the pitch immediately after Mohammed Sangare, who plays for Accrington Stanley in England’s third-tier, netted a stunning injury-time equaliser to secure a priceless 2-2 draw for the Lone Stars. For their newly appointed coach Ansu Keita, it was mission accomplished.   

An irate Broos then initially refused to attend the compulsory post-match media briefing before eventually making a brief appearance in which he refused to take questions. 

The anger of Broos, who turns 71 next month, was understandable as it was a game his side should have won comfortably had they converted just one more of the plethora of gilt-edged chances they created.  

Still, despite the obvious frustration over tossing away a two-goal lead — on home territory too — it’s unbecoming of a national team coach to behave in such a fashion. He duly made a formal apology to the nation the following day, saying his emotions got the better of him. 

With Morocco having already qualified from a group that was reduced to a three-horse race due to Fifa’s suspension of Zimbabwe, head-to-head results will be the tiebreaker should Bafana and Liberia finish level on points. A victory for either team, irrespective of the outcome of their respective remaining games against the Atlas Lions, will secure qualification.  

Broos will need all his coaching acumen, nous and player management that saw him winning league titles in Belgium with Club Brugges and Anderlecht and guiding an unfancied Cameroon side to their fifth Afcon title in 2017, if he is to avoid a premature end to his five-year contract.  

Not only will Bafana have to cope with a highly motivated home side seeking to qualify for only their third Nations Cup finals, and their first since 2002, they will also have to deal with the artificial pitch at the renovated Samuel K Doe Stadium. In addition, they will have to cope with an expected full-house crowd of 22,000 who will provide the proverbial 12th man for a home team that would have been buoyed by Friday’s draw. 

Bafana were by far the better team at Orlando Stadium, but their inability to convert their chances, a frustrating habit that continues to bug and hamstring SA football, together with poor game management when holding a commanding 2-0 lead, came back to bite them badly.  

Broos will have to summon the kind of gutsy performance from his players that saw them secure a 3-1 away win over Ethiopia, their only away success under the Belgian, in their 2022 World Cup qualifier in October 2021.     

Their first job will be to silence the home crowd by either scoring early or seeing out the first 20 minutes without conceding. Much will depend on the temperament and attitude of the players, as well as how badly they want to play at next year’s Afcon.