After guiding Cameroon to their fifth TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations title in 2017, coach Hugo Broos says the feeling of lifting Africa’s most sought-after trophy is a fantastic feeling that one would want to experience more than once.
Broos was speaking from Korhogo’s Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly on Monday afternoon where South Africa will open their Group E campaign against the Eagles of Mali on Tuesday evening.
Going into the competition with a squad comprising mostly of locally based players, Broos is hoping to enjoy the same success with Bafana Bafana that he did with a Cameroon side that was give no chance back in 2017.
“It’s the feeling I had six years ago with Cameroon. Nobody saw Cameroon as a favourite” said the 71-year-old coach.
“When you win it once, you want to win it twice. It’s fantastic feeling winning the AFCON. I have said it before that I am European but the intensity and the joy and everything around winning an AFCON is unique. It’s really unique so it was fantastic experience six years ago and you can be sure that I dream to do it for the second time,” said Broos.
The Bafana Bafana mentor did however caution that it will not be an easy task and they would have to get the first assignment out of the way when they face Mali, who are expected to have a huge crowd backing with the nation being just on the border of Korhogo.
“Saying it is much easier than doing it so let us start tomorrow and let us do our best to see where we will arrive” concluded the coach.
Commenting on travelling to an international competition with locally based players, Broos said it may give other teams who have players abroad a slight advantage but it does not necessarily make them an easy target.
“I think that players who play in other countries have the advantage because the leagues are at a higher level but that doesn’t mean our team isn’t strong. It is not having players abroad that makes a strong team. We have to show our strength even though majority play at home”, concluded the coach.
-CAF
