Proud Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has tipped his team to become regulars at the Fifa World Cup after their historic campaign came to an end in the Round of 32 on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
Bafana lost 1–0 to Canada in their maiden knockout stage appearance, courtesy of a stoppage-time strike by Stephen Eustáquio. The goal also sent the Canadians to the Round of 16 for the very first time.
While Bafana exited the tournament with disappointment, they did so with their heads held high. They achieved an improbable feat by returning to the competition for the first time since they hosted it in 2010.
The impressive knockout stage finish was a testament to Broos’ revival of the team over the last five years. He has injected a positive outlook through discipline, hard work, and camaraderie among the players.
Given this progress, the Belgian foresees a bright future for the relatively youthful squad, stating that this is just the beginning of their full-time return to football’s grandest stage.
“I think we will be in this tournament a lot of times,” Broos said, in his post-match media duties. “It was certainly something that we had to do. In the coming months, I am sure that this team will be stronger than before.
“If you look at the players we faced, they are a little better than us, but we can learn a lot from that. We played a good game, but I think we could have done more. When an opponent has so much power and speed, we are in trouble.”
Broos reiterated that they were second-best to the Canadians due to inferior depth and quality, yet he remained proud of his team’s efforts throughout the tournament.
“I am still as proud as I was a few days ago,” Broos said. “I think we had a very good World Cup.
“But when you play against a team that has power and speed, we still trail behind. This is something we have to learn, and that is why it was so important for this team to be here.”
Bafana are set to return home in the next few days. Following their arrival, Broos is expected to announce the final decision on his future, having stated before the tournament that he planned to step down and retire when his contract ends.
“We will see,” Broos said, of his future.
“We will make the decision in the next few days. It was a nice World Cup, so it will not be an easy decision. I cannot say right now whether I will stay or go.”
