‘Plumber’ Broos proving to be right fitter for Bafana

ARE Bafana Bafana going to qualify for the 2022 World Cup?

The odds remain stacked against them but credit must be given to coach Hugo Broos who has come to be affectionately known (by some South Africans) as “Ric Flair”. This is due to his physical resemblance to the wrestling icon who graced WWE screens as the “Nature Boy” with his signature chant “Wooh”.

Some might argue that Bafana Bafana’s recent international successes “were only against Ghana and Ethiopia”. While recording wins over the two nations are certainly not earth-shattering, anyone who denies that there has been no improvement in the structure of Bafana’s play since the appointment of Broos is being dishonest.

He has got the team playing watch-worthy football again.

Many were critical of the Belgian’s appointment as coach to succeed Molefi Ntseki due to his age (he is 69 years old) given that he has been given a long-term project to rebuild the team. Another disadvantage, some lamented, is the fact that he had never worked in South Africa.

Many European coaches who come to South African shores are mocked as “plumbers” due to their seemingly unknown backgrounds as players or coaches before arriving on our shores. This label certainly does not fit Broos as he was an accomplished player and defender in the 1970s and 1980s, former Belgium national team player and legend of Belgian giants Anderlecht.

Broos boasts the rare distinction of having won Belgian league titles with Anderlecht and Club Brugge as both a player and later as a coach. He is also a four-time Belgian Professional Manager of the Year award recipient.

Arguably the biggest selling point of Broos to Bafana was the fact that he previously won the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) with Cameroon in 2017.

Based on his track record as a player and coach, Broos is certainly one of the most decorated ever figures to coach Bafana.

After taking over the reins of the South African national team, Broos made some big calls which were never made by any of his predecessors. These calls have been far from revolutionary or unheard of but were never really on our minds all this time. It now begs belief why such decisions were never really made in the past.

Firstly, Broos opted to phase out the old guard of players over the age of 30. These decisions have been seen in football before. So-called elite football teams usually do it when they underachieve in tournaments.

On the other hand, South Africa simply preferred to play it safe - going with the tried-and-tested in the PSL even if this approach has proven time after time that it doesn’t really deliver a high level of consistency internationally.

Broos has opted to use a young core of players with a grand aim or readying a squad capable of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. So far this decision has yielded dividends as new captain Ronwen Williams has proven that he is up to the job when it comes to leadership.

Reserve goalkeeper Veli Mothwa was the only player over 30 years of age in the most recent Bafana squad for the games against Ethiopia with Siyanda Xulu and Williams, both 29 occupying the senior player roles.

Secondly, and more importantly, it has already helped unearth new stars in the Bafana team such as Ethan Brooks and Bongokuhle Hlongwane. Bafana’s attack has been a bit too over-reliant upon Percy Tau in recent years and Hlongwane’s recent success is especially good as he has been the stand-out attacker for Bafana in the last two international breaks.

While still a raw product, Brooks is showing strong potential due to his eye to pick up a good pass and positioning. He can definitely be the link between attack and defence and potentially an upgrade to the services provided by the now surplus to requirements Dean Furman if he carries on developing at his current rate.

Both Hlongwane and Brooks still have several flaws in their game but the experience that they have been receiving will be crucial to their long-term development. The duo will almost certainly be leaving TS Galaxy and Maritzburg United in the near-future for greener pastures.

Would previous Bafana coaches have shown faith in Hlongwane and Brooks in big games? Probably not. They would have instead called up experienced players such as Ruzaigh Gamildien and Kermit Erasmus as forwards at the expense of hungrier youngsters while there is also a good chance that Furman and Andile Jali would have been called up at the expense of someone like Brooks.

The most refreshing thing to come out of Broos from everything has been his honesty in admitting that it will be difficult to qualify for the World Cup in 2022 and may not happen. If it does happen, it will be a welcome bonus but at least we are not being sold dreams again.