By McGeorge Mbare
South Africa’s national football team coach Hugo Broos has vowed to resign if Bafana Bafana loses to South Sudan ahead of their AFCON 2025 qualifiers.
During a press conference, when asked about the potential of his team losing to Uganda and South Sudan, Broos emphasized that he would consider resigning if they lost, particularly at home against South Sudan.
“If we lose two games, five minutes after the match, I will fly to Belgium, you can be sure of that. If we can’t win against Uganda, okay, but losing at home to South Sudan? I tell you, I will immediately take the flight, and you will never see me again,” Coach Broos stated.
Currently, South Africa is in second place with 8 points, trailing Uganda, which has 10 points in Group K. The team is set to face Uganda on November 15 and South Sudan on November 19, aiming to secure maximum points to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Morocco.
Bafana Bafana only needs two points from their remaining two games to secure qualification. Coach Broos has already expressed his intention to step down if the team fails to qualify for this year’s AFCON edition. South Africa is in a promising position, but the Democratic Republic of Congo still has a chance if they win their remaining two fixtures, provided South Africa loses all their matches.
Some fans have reacted strongly, stating they would not allow the coach to leave because he has restored belief and identity to Bafana Bafana.
“That is not going to happen, Madala. As Mzansi, we are not allowing you to catch a flight. You brought back the belief and identity of our beloved Bafana Bafana,” fans expressed.
South Africa last won the AFCON tournament in 1996 in their debut tournament and finished as runners-up in 1998. In 2023, they secured third place in Ivory Coast.