Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos arrive in South Africa on Monday to take over the job. And in his first press conference since his appointment, he has already made up excuses for Bafana just in case they fail to qualify for the Fifa World Cup finals in Qatar next year. 

Broos, who addressed the media at Safa’s headquarters in Johannesburg yesterday, is already pleading for patience even before he starts his tenure as the head coach of the senior national team. 

Bafana are in Group G with Ghana, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers. Their road to Qatar will start against Zimbabwe and Ghana during the Fifa international week in September.

However, Broos told the South African supporters to forget about the World Cup qualification and to focus on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and the 2026 World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.

“I am pleading for patience. And all that I am asking for is time for me to build a strong team like African powerhouses such as Senegal and Nigeria. To be realistic, it is going to be tough to qualify for the World Cup. We are rebuilding. And there will be moments of weakness. Do not be angry if we do not qualify for the World Cup. But kill me if we do not qualify for the 2023 Afcon and the 2026 World Cup finals. Please be patient with me.” Said Broos.

Broos, who was on the verge of taking over the Democratic Republic of Congo job, said he changed his mind at the last minute when his manager told him that he got the Bafana job. When asked how long is the duration of his contract, he declined to comment.

“Bafana will use the World Cup qualifiers experience for Afcon. It is tough to qualify for the World Cup. You have to finish first in your group and then play against a strong team from another group to qualify. It will be difficult for SA to qualify for the World Cup. They must not kill the team if they fail to qualify.” Broos urged.