Hugo Broos expected to leave Bafana Bafana role when contract expires on Friday

[p]Broos was reportedly offered the chance to stay on as coach of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/W2ijYvlr/"]South Africa[/a] until after the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in June/July next year, but is sticking to his pre-World Cup claim that he preferred retirement.[/p][p]Whether he will be kept on in an advisory role will be revealed at a press conference in Johannesburg on Friday, but thoughts will immediately turn to a successor.[/p][p]SAFA have been speaking to various candidates, with Pitso Mosimane a front-runner given his vast experience and availability.[/p][p]He would be more or less able to hit the ground running, which is what Bafana need ahead of a crucial home Cup of Nations qualifier against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/guinea/lGDZlkOb/"]Guinea[/a] in September.[/p][p]They are in a pool that also includes co-hosts [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kenya/CIAJw1QK/"]Kenya[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/eritrea/ns8a5zLl/"]Eritrea[/a], and with the former having already sealed a place at the finals, it looks to be a straight shoot-out between Bafana and the Guineans for the other qualification spot from the pool.[/p][embed guid="a2dfae0c-068f-44e2-ac9b-d440cf4757e9" url="https://x.com/BafanaBafana/status/2080234258258391461?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Others who might have been in the running, such as Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena, have recently been appointed to new clubs, though Bafana could also look outside the country again for a replacement, which comes with its own risks. [/p][p]The appointment of a new coach needs to be ratified by SAFA’s National Executive Committee (NEC), and that can be a process.[/p][p]Broos ends his tenure after a record 59 games in charge, one more than Shakes Mashaba.[/p][p]SAFA claim he was also in the hot seat for the 3-2 win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uganda/hnw06lwh/"]Uganda[/a] in May 2021, despite the fact that he was sitting at home in Belgium, some 12,500 kilometres away.[/p][p]His long-time assistant, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mkhalele-helman/8IKle8Tn/"]Helman Mkhalele[/a], was instead in the dugout for that game.[/p][p]What role Mkhalele plays in the future will be interesting, with the possibility that he could even take temporary charge in September if SAFA do not make a quick appointment.[/p][embed guid="75829152-0f84-41c1-a0f6-e32f40bfcd21" url="https://x.com/SABC_Sport/status/2072563711890637228?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Broos won 27 of his matches, or 46%, to go with 22 draws and 10 defeats, earning a bronze medal at the 2023 Cup of Nations finals and a first-ever place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup before a narrow [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/?mid=EZmXxG15"]1-0[/a] loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a] in the last 32.[/p][p]His tenure will be remembered fondly despite a disappointing 2025 Cup of Nations and his tendency to speak his mind, which did rub quite a few people up the wrong way, not least over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbokazi-mbekezile/zg795kmf/"]Mbekezeli Mbokazi[/a]’s move to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chicago-fire/UwAwNo2E/"]Chicago Fire[/a].[/p][p]But the players enjoyed working with him and it was largely a happy camp for most of his tenure, laying a solid foundation for his replacement.[/p]