ANALYSIS: Bafana’s Broos talks a good game, now can he play one?

Hugo Broos exuded confidence in his first press conference in front of the South African media on Wednesday, the Belgian answering every question put to him with aplomb, and there were many in a grilling that lasted over an hour.

ALSO READ: Broos explains why he will not coach Bafana next month

His fluency in English was impressive for a language that is not his first, and if he battled at times to hear what was being asked, the 69 year-old always displayed the kind of patience he is asking to be afforded in his time as Bafana head coach.

Broos (pronounced ‘Bross,’ we were told by South African Football Association CEO Tebogo Motlanthe) started by explaining that he won’t be here for his first two matches as Bafana head coach, a statement that might have been greeted with alarm were his reasons not about as good as can be.

The Belgian needs to return home to get his second Covid-19 vaccine, a responsible move from a man who does not want to get sick (potentially critically so) in his first months a job in a new country.

That hurdle navigated, Broos did some South African public relations, explaining he would be hiring a South African assistant, to help him with knowledge of the local game, and that he would not be stepping on the toes of Under-23 head coach David Notoane, who he will leave to lead the side at the Tokyo Olympics.

Much of Broos’ confidence that he can deal with the pressures of coaching Bafana, and lead them to success, seems to come from his stint in charge of Cameroon, with whom he won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, a surprise victory with a team that had many of its star names missing in Gabon.

Broos referenced this strongly in response to a question about the negative responses to his appointment.

“When I came in Cameroon, everyone was telling me you will never be a coach in Africa, you don’t have the experience. I had to deal with 23 million coaches in Cameroon. I have the experience to be under pressure. I know this is a country that is looking forward to success, and I am not afraid of that.”

Broos has hedged his bets slightly, however, in terms of success, in asking for patience and suggesting he should not be expected to qualify Bafana for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. This is unlikely to sit well with some South African fans, though it is grounded in a sense of realism with Bafana not even close to being one of the top five sides on the continent at the moment.

The Belgian mentor did say he is prepared to put his neck on the block with regards to qualifying for Afcon 2023 in the Ivory Coast. “If we are not qualified for that, you can kill me,” he said on Wednesday, repeating what he had also told the SABC the day before.

The only time Broos’ ears seemed to slightly prickle with irritation were when a French journalist pressed him on the matter of him turning down DR Congo at the last minute to take up the job with Bafana.

“I made a choice, that is it,” said Broos.

In one sense, it is heartening that taking the Bafana job was a choice for Broos, that he was a coach in demand and that he chose South Africa over DR Congo. On the other, there is clearly a pragmatist at work here.

Would Broos turn his back on Bafana too, if a better opportunity arose? A look at his recent list of employers is not exactly encouraging. At the start of his coaching career, Broos had a lengthy spell of six years at Club Brugge, and another of five years at Excelsior Mouscron, with decent stints too at Anderlecht and KRC Genk.

Since 2008, however, Broos has not spent more than one season in charge a single club, moving from Greece, to Turkey, back to Belgium, to the Middle East and to Algeria.

Even with Cameroon, after winning the Africa Cup of Nations, he was sacked for failing to get the team to the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

His term as Bafana head coach is said to be for five years (he would not talk about his contract on Wednesday) but it is fair to say he is unlikely to last the distance. And then there is Broos’ age (69) that has also raised eyebrows.

“I am not coming here to have a retirement cheque and go back to my country with no success. I am not like that. I have a CV with plenty of success and I want to win,” insisted Broos.

It was an impressive start, with clear answers to all questions. The proof in the pudding however – and turning words into actions has stopped many talented Bafana coaches in their tracks. Can he really translate his grand ambitions to success on the field with South Africa?

“It will be tough, but if you are coach of a national team it is always tough, because people like results,” said Broos when asked if this was his biggest challenge yet.

“If it is the toughest job I have had? Ask me in one year.”