Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos says this afternoon’s international friendly match against Zambia is not just a friendly match it’s a game he wants to win.
Zambia and South Africa will lock horns on Saturday afternoon at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha at 15h00.
Broos has declared his side ready to face the Chipolopolo Boys and that they will try hard to win the game. He says he is demanding the same level of concentration, focus, and mentality that they already showed in the past.
“I am very happy with what I saw. You know it’s always a little bit dangerous when you play a friendly game, but what I saw this week in training, that makes me happy because you see the guys are ready again to give the best of themselves and try to win that game. Also the two new players, Vassili and Cancello, it was in the beginning a little bit difficult for them, the level is higher than what they are used to, but now at the end of the week I think they were fully integrated and again also for them, I was happy to see them progressing during the days of training,” he said.
“I said already in the beginning of the week in the press conference, it is a friendly game, for me it’s not a friendly game, it’s a game that I want to win and I ask from the players the same concentration, focus, mentality, what they showed already in the previous months and years and I want to win the game.”
Broos was also quick to praise the Chipolopolo Boys saying his side won’t have it easy this afternoon.
The Belgian gaffer feels the Chipolopolo Boys were unlucky against Niger as they played very well and did not deserve to lose the match.
“We are looking at the games of our opponents and it is no different now for the game tomorrow against Zambia. If I can refer to one game, the game against Niger, I think they made a fantastic game and they lost the game, but I think they didn’t deserve to lose that game. And what I saw there, I’m sure that it will not be easy for us, that we have to play at our best level. And that for us, it’s a very good game to prepare for next month,” he said.
The South African senior men’s team qualified for next year’s FIFA World Cup after beating Rwanda 3-0 in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, last month but Broos believes despite all this the team still has a lot to do to have continued success.
“I think, yes, we can only be very happy. Okay, the last time we were here, it was a fantastic evening. And that was for us. Besides qualifying for the AFCON, we wanted to go to the World Cup. And not only me, those 36 persons who make the Bafana Bafana family working on that for the last two years. So we are very happy that we can go to America or Mexico or whatever next year. But at the other side, this is in seven months. So now for us, the most important thing is what will happen next month in AFCON, in Morocco. So we’ll try to do what we did the last time, at least, and we will see where we arrive. But again, it was for this country. 24 years ago they still qualified for the World Cup. And I feel that and I see that every day by people who are very enthusiastic, who love again Bafana Bafana,” he said.
“But on the other side, this is something, a normal evolution. How can you be happy with a team who doesn’t perform? A team who’s never in AFCON, who is never in the World Cup. So now we are there. But this is not the finish. This is certainly not the finish. I think now we have to look at what we are and how we are going to do it in the future after the World Cup next year, because, OK, you worked very hard in the past four years. But if you are not going to do the same thing, I mean, maybe, yeah, better than in four years. You are again where you started four years ago. So the U17 is in the World Cup. The U20 is at the World Cup. I think now we are at a crossroads and it’s up to us to choose the right direction and not do what we did several years ago. So, again, the basics are there. Now we have to react also.”
