Broos wants a blistering start in WC qualifiers
● Bafana Bafana begin the bid to banish their phobia of qualifying for the Fifa World Cup when they host Benin at the Moses Mabhida Stadium at 3pm on Saturday.
The South African team last partook in the quadrennial global spectacle 12 years ago when the 2010 World Cup host nation status secured their spot, only to earn the dubious distinction of being the first country to fall in the first round on home soil.
Bafana are no longer alone in that cloud, as Qatar joined them last year.
To book their berth for the 2026 edition, Hugo Broos’ men will have to navigate their way to the top of Group C ahead of Benin, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zimbabwe to qualify.
Only teams finishing at the top of the Confederation of African Football (Can) nine groups will make it to the 23rd edition, which will see an expanded field of 48 nations compete in the US, Canada and Mexico, the first time the tournament will be co-hosted in three countries.
One Caf team finishing second best will enter the Fifa play-off tournament with one team from AFC, Conmebol and OFC, and two from Concacaf. The two best teams from those play-offs will qualify for the World Cup.
Naming his 23-man squad on Friday for the qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda, Broos emphasised the importance of a solid start. “When you don’t have a good start you can be behind and it means in the next match you will have pressure to win the game, and this is not a good situation,” said Broos.
“When you don’t win against Benin you go with another mindset to Rwanda, and then you lose points again. We have two games that we can win, so win them. If you have six (points) on six then the pressure is on the other teams. That’s the situation you need to be in.”
While Broos is super satisfied with his right-hand side of defence, where he has Mamelodi Sundowns’ Khuliso Mudau competing with Nyiko Mobbie of Sekhukhune United, he’s not so happy with the other wing. “That’s a little bit of a bigger problem,” said the Belgian of Bafana’s leftback position.
“We have Innocent Maela (Orlando Pirates) but for the moment he’s injured, we have (Aubrey) Modiba (Sundowns), and now we have Bradley Cross (Golden Arrows). “I hope Cross can fill in the emptiness that we’re feeling for the moment on the leftback.”
While everyone understood Broos’ decision to leave Burnley striker Lyle Foster out of his latest squad — as reports emerged this week from his Premier League club that he is dealing with a mental health issue — St Louis City SC (US) midfielder Njabulo Blom has almost ruled himself out from future selection with the latest shenanigans he displayed when he was called to represent the country.
“No, I didn’t say that,” Broos said when asked if the 24-year-old has blown his chances of ever being called to play for Bafana. “But if you show an attitude like that I can’t select you because your mindset and your mentality is not right.
“I didn’t speak to him but he sent us a message that he was injured. We asked for a medical report but it never came. Then two or three days later he sent us a message that he can play. I don’t think that is the right professional attitude.”
With Bafana going to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Ivory Coast early next year, where they’ll face Tunisia, Mali and Namibia in the group stages, Broos insisted that the doors are still open for players he has not selected for the two World Cup qualifiers.
One of those is striker Evidence Makgopa, a player Broos relied on heavily when he arrived to coach Bafana in May 2021. “I’m very happy that Evidence is now playing at Pirates. We’ll see if he’s a candidate to be with us in Ivory Coast.”
We have two games that we can win, so win them Hugo Broos
Bafana coach