Gayton McKensie has hailed Hugo Broos for transforming the national squad.
Image: Michael Sherman
South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says South Africa should erect a statue of coach Hugo Broos to commemorate what he has done for Bafana Bafana.
Speaking to IOL on the sidelines of Bafana Bafana’s much-celebrated arrival at OR Tambo International Airport in the early hours of Thursday morning, McKenzie spoke glowingly of Broos after the national squad became the first in history to make it to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup.
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Although Bafana lost 1-0 to Canada in the Round of 32 on Sunday, few had expected the team to get this far.
McKenzie said Bafana Bafana were “nowhere” before the Belgian coach took over.
“The first thing we must be honest about … Before Hugo Broos came here, Bafana Bafana was a joke. People laughed at us, nobody took us seriously,” McKenzie told IOL.
“When Hugo Broos came, he lifted us up. What Hugo Broos has done for our football … we need to build a statue for him, because Hugo Broos has really done so much for our football. And Hugo Broos will now make a decision on his future,” he added.
Interestingly, McKenzie also spoke about his preferred successor to Broos.
“If Hugo Broos decides not to stay, we can’t be messing around. I’ll be supporting one name and one name only.”
He reiterated that if Broos stays, he’ll have the Minister’s support.
“But it’s a family matter he needs to discuss with his wife.
“If Hugo Broos does not stay, there is only one man for the job. Pitso Mosimane.
“I am unapologetic about it. That job must be given to Pitso if Hugo Broos is not staying.”
Many expected Bafana to do just enough to reach the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams in the expanded 48-nation tournament.
Instead, they surpassed those expectations by finishing second in their group to qualify automatically. Notably, that runners-up finish would also have been sufficient to advance under the previous 32-team World Cup format, underlining the scale of their achievement.
It’s also worth remembering that simply qualifying for the World Cup was one of Bafana's biggest accomplishments. The last time they secured a place on merit was for the 2002 tournament. Their appearance at the 2010 edition came courtesy of automatic qualification as tournament hosts.
Even a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player during qualifying was not enough to stop Bafana from winning their group ahead of African giants Nigeria.
While their memorable campaign came to a heartbreaking end against Canada, it has restored belief in South African football and reminded fans across the country of what this team can achieve.
For that reason, Bafana returned home as heroes.
IOL Sport