South Africa national team coach Hugo Broos has said he does not want his Bafana Bafana side to play another high-profile friendly match after losing 5-0 to France in March this year as he and his team have been over criticized.
Hugo who earlier this year told the South African press that he will not accept playing friendly matches against low-ranked countries, swallowed his words and said on SABC sports Tv live show on Thursday afternoon that it is important the team plays the two friendly matches that have been lined up for him by SAFA, against Sierra Leone and Botswana on the 24th and 27th September 2022.
I don’t want to kill myself. What is the use of having again two games against, let’s say Brazil and Italy and you lose two times 4-0, what’s the use of that?
You can say, yes it’s good because playing against stronger opponents makes you stronger also but you lose; You lose already five times, what’s the use of that?
Asked Broos on SABC Sports Tv Live show
The 2017 African Cup of nations winner said there is a need to restore confidence in the team and among fans by at least picking up a win during the September international window as losing is not good for him or his players’ careers.
It’s not good for the team, not good for the players and certainly not good for the coach, therefore I will try to restore a little confidence that everybody had when we had the qualifiers for the World Cup.
Broos added that the two friendlies will help in preparing for their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations back-to-back encounters against Liberia and that there should be no excuse to fail to beat the West African country and qualify for the Cup of Nations.
In March when we play two times against Liberia, no excuses anymore, because this is not a team which is better than we are, so we have to qualify in those matches and therefore we need those games [friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana] and I hope I will have another camp in November with two extra friendly matches.
Broos’s Bafana Bafana have not won a match since last year in November having lost three times, 1-0 against Ghana, 5-0 in France, 2-1 to Morocco and only drawn once, 0-0 against Guinea in an international friendly match.
The Belgian gaffer who has also unveiled his 23-member squad for this month’s international window will now look to record a win before the AFCON qualifiers resume next year in March.
Broos named a Bafana Bafana squad that comprises the majority of members of the squad that lost 2-1 to Morocco in their Group K cup of Nations opener, except Al Ahly forward Percy Tau who has been left out due to an injury.
