South Africa coach Hugo Broos on his future, lessons learnt and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations

[p]The 74-year-old gave potentially his last interview as Bafana Bafana coach after the team were knocked out of the World Cup, beaten [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=EZmXxG15"]1-0[/a] by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a] in the first of the knockout round games at the tournament.[/p][p]This is what he had to say after the match in Los Angeles.[/p][p] [/p][p][b]On his future and the game[/b][/p][p]“I think, first of all, it's not clever to take decisions when you are disappointed. So I will not do it either. On the other hand, I think we have to be honest that today, we lost the game because there was a lack of power and speed in our team.[/p][p]"When I compare us with our opponent, we lost a lot of duels and the speed in our team, not only the running speed, but also the speed of execution ... was not the same. When you see how quickly Canada play and also their build up, it took long sometimes before we took a decision.[/p][p]"These are things we have to work on, and this is also what I said already many times in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/W2ijYvlr/"]South Africa[/a], but nobody believes me. Modern football is more than technique. Modern football is power and speed. If you don't have it in your team, and you play against a team who has it, and that was a big quality of Canada, then it's difficult. And we had a difficult game, certainly.[/p][p]"When we look back, I think we can be very satisfied with what we did. It was 24 years ago that South Africa last qualified for World Cup. Everyone hoped, but only some expected, that we should achieve (a place in) the second round.[/p][p]"So, okay, we are disappointed, because we wanted to win, and it should be really a little miracle if we got through to the last-16, but we don't have to be too disappointed. What we did was good, and I'm very happy. I'm very proud of my team.”[/p][embed guid="fa370ad6-1099-4937-8832-5189b1a47058" url="https://x.com/BafanaBafana/status/2071337521426927991?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]On the September start of the Africa Cup of Nations and whether he will be there[/b][/p][p]“So, first of all, I'm always open, if people need advice, there's no problem. Secondly, again, I will see in the next days what I will do for the future. I said always, this is my last, and it is my last World Cup, that is for sure.[/p][p]"But, but, yeah, what will happen in the next days and weeks, that depends also a little bit how South Africa sees the future. I will not answer that question for the moment. [/p][p] [/p][p][b]On how Canada will do in their next match against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] or the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a][/b][/p][p]“We were looking forward to play against Morocco, because in the past, it was always a game that we won. So, again, that was something that we wished also, every one of us. But yeah, you had to beat first Canada, and we didn't do it today. So this remains only a dream.[/p][p]"I think if you want to know what I think about the game that Canada will play, I think they have a chance, because they play good football, they are powerful, there is speed in the team. It's a rather modern team. And with the mentality that is in that team, they can make surprise in the next round.”[/p][embed guid="62498bc6-e311-4c36-b357-44dceb53e748" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2071413347203903937?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]On suming up Bafana’s World Cup campaign[/b][/p][p]“I think it is a success. Nobody expected … only hoped … that we would get to the second round, and you were at a level, maybe two levels higher than the PSL. And I think today, what we missed is something that South Africa has to work on, not I, or the national team.[/p][p]"That should be the clubs, and they mustn’t be satisfied to be happy when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mamelodi-sundowns/lxZ6Bzh6/"]Sundowns[/a] win the Champions League. Yeah, there is more than that. Certainly on the international level. We saw it today. We saw it also in the previous games, but we have a good mentality. We could make good performances and good results.[/p][p]"So, again, I'm still proud of my team. We did well. We did it very well in this World Cup. Even we are now out of the tournament, but again, I know why we are out, and this is something we have to work on in the next month and years.”[/p][p] [/p][p][b]On the qualities that a new coach should posses[/b][/p][p]“There is something I really will not do. When there is a new coach, when I stop, he has to work his way. He doesn’t have to listen to me, and I don't have to give him advice either. He will know what he have to do. The only thing is that he has a good team, and it's up to him now to work with it, and make it better, to progress, and that's all I have to say.[/p][p]"It's not up to me to give him advice or whatever. I think the next Bafana Bafana will be good enough to know what he has to do.”[/p][embed guid="377f95a0-21c9-44b2-91b6-c54742330577" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2071496391986164213?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]On whether taking Bafana to the last-32 of the World Cup rates with his winning the Cup of Nations with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cameroon/zk1uVG2D/"]Cameroon[/a] in 2017[/b][/p][p]“I think I can compare it even with the winning of Afcon with Cameroon. This is an unbelievable performance that this team achieved during this World Cup, and I was a little bit angry when we were criticised after the game against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a]. What did people think that we're going to beat Mexico in the opening game.[/p][p]"I know my team, and I know the guys, and I know that we still have to a lot of work to do if we want to achieve more on that level. So, again, for me, what we did here during the last three, four weeks, I can compare it on the same level as winning Afcon with Cameroon.”[/p][p] [/p][p][b]On lessons to take forward to the Nations Cup[/b][/p][p]“I said already, I think we learned a lot, and the players felt what it is to play on this level, but when you don't achieve at this level, you learn a lot. And we did, I think, two years ago, with the first Afcon we played in Ivory Coast. The first game we lost against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mali/jVn5lThB/"]Mali[/a]. After that game, suddenly everyone understood what we needed to go further, we beat Morocco and took the bronze medal.[/p][p]"This step was more difficult to make. We didn't really succeed, but that is not a critcisim. I think it was very important to play at the World Cup, to see and to feel the players, what it is like to play at that level, and what we still have to do.”[/p]