NEW Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos insists that he is not in Mzansi to collect a retirement cheque and head back to his native Belgium but he is here to transform the national team and build a winning team.
Broos was announced as Molefi Ntseki's successor last week after agreeing on terms with the South African Football Association (Safa), making him the man responsible for the rebuilding project.
The 69-year-old is expected to lead Bafana Bafana towards a more successful path after a disappointing 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) campaign under Ntseki - thanks to a defeat by Sudan in the last qualifier in Group C.
Broos now hopes to pull a rabbit out of his hat and help Bafana qualify for the 2022 World Cup that will be staged in Qatar but he has warned that this should not be an expectation from the nation.
He has asked for patience as he begins the rebuilding process.
“I know this country is desperate for success so there will be a lot of
criticism,” said Broos in his first press conference in Joburg on Wednesday.
“But I’m not afraid of that. I’m not here for a retirement package and go back
to my country.
“I hate to lose. I get very angry and frustrated when I lose. And If you look at my CV you will see that there’s a lot of success.
“This is what I bring to the table and I hope to achieve more with this country but I can’t do it alone. I have to build a winning team.
“We have to create a team that has to try and have success in the next months and years.
“I repeat, I’m not afraid of criticism, I know what will come when we lose, I’m not 25 years old, I have a lot of experience.
“I know that if we all work together, we can succeed and this is what I want to instil in this team. We have to work towards one goal, which is to win.”
Broos is already building his technical team and has chosen Olympiakos Nicosia coach Cedomir Janevski as his first assistant.
He revealed that discussions are still ongoing regarding his second assistant, who will be a local.
Broos will miss Bafana’s two friendly matches in June as he heads back to Belgium to receive his second Covid-19 vaccination.
The 2017 Afcon winning coach is under has enough time on his hands after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to postpone the June World Cup qualifiers until September.
Bafana are in Group G alongside Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Ghana.
“The Belgian assistant is still in Cyprus with his team playing in a cup final,” added Broos.
“He is from Macedonia but he spent a lot of time in Belgium. He speaks a lot of languages including French, English and Belgian.
“There are still discussions ongoing and the announcement will be made on the South African assistant.
“Both my assistants will be in charge of the friendly matches in June because I have to go receive my second vaccination. I don’t need to be here for them (Friendlies), I have confidence in my assistants.”
