All Article Properties:
{
"access_control": false,
"status": "publish",
"objectType": "Article",
"id": "2348813",
"signature": "Article:2348813",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-05-annoyed-bafana-boss-broos-eyes-perfect-afcon-qualifiers-start/",
"shorturl": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2348813",
"slug": "annoyed-bafana-boss-broos-eyes-perfect-afcon-qualifiers-start",
"contentType": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Article",
"slug": "article"
},
"views": 0,
"comments": 0,
"preview_limit": null,
"excludedFromGoogleSearchEngine": 0,
"title": "‘Annoyed’ Bafana boss Hugo Broos confident his side can start Afcon qualifiers perfectly",
"firstPublished": "2024-09-05 12:01:55",
"lastUpdate": "2024-09-05 12:01:58",
"categories": [
{
"id": "3",
"name": "Africa",
"signature": "Category:3",
"slug": "africa",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/africa/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
},
{
"id": "30",
"name": "Sport",
"signature": "Category:30",
"slug": "sport",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/sport/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
}
],
"content_length": 5585,
"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Bafana Bafana begin their qualification campaign for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – following their bronze-winning performance at the 2023 edition – head coach Hugo Broos is hoping they can sprint out of the blocks faster than a cheetah.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Africa is in Group K, alongside Congo-Brazzaville, South Sudan and Uganda, as they plot a path to Morocco for the 2025 Afcon. The showpiece is scheduled to begin on 21 December 2025, with the final on 18 January 2026.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bafana Bafana begin their qualification with a home clash against Uganda at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Friday, 6 September. Broos and his troops will then head to Juba, South Sudan, for their second qualifier. The coach is aiming for a full complement of points at the culmination of this international round. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s very important to have a good start when you’re playing qualifiers. When you have a good start, you put pressure on your opponents. When you don’t, it’s the opposite. And we have to try and avoid that,” Broos told journalists.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“A good start for me will be six out of six points… So, let’s try to win those two games. We have the quality for that. We have the confidence for that. But that does not mean we must underestimate our opponents,” the Belgian continued.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2348810\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TL_2224250-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Bafana Afcon Broos\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1458\" /> <em>Percy Tau and coach Hugo Broos at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, on 6 June 2024. (Photo: Oty Silas / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>Match fitness annoyance</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The timing of this international window means most players head into the tone-setting fixtures having played one or two games, while a couple of locally based players in the Bafana Bafana side are yet to feature in any competitive action so far, with the South African Premiership only commencing on 14 September.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, in choosing his squad, Broos leaned mostly towards players from teams such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, SuperSport United and Polokwane City, from the locally based cohort.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are teams who have tasted some competitive action via their participation in the MTN8 – which is contested as a curtain-raiser for the new season, by teams that finish in the top half of the Premiership. Nevertheless, Broos is far from pleased. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“That means we have players that have not played so many good games,” he stated.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I know that the clubs who are not playing in the MTN8, or playing preliminary games in the Caf Champions League or Confederation Cup are playing friendly games with each other. But it’s not the same [as a competitive match]. The qualifiers will be totally different to that,” the 72-year-old said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It annoys me a little bit and I’ll have to see how we can manage that. The most important thing is that we have the right mentality. If we can show the right mentality, we will not suffer so much from the lack of games.”</span>\r\n<h4><b>New captain</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the absence of regular skipper and superstar goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, veteran playmaker Themba Zwane will captain South Africa in the crucial qualification matches.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams is still trying to shake off a shoulder injury, but will receive a positive boost from the fact that he recently made history after being announced as one of the nominees for the Ballon D’or Yashin Award.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prize is handed to the best goalkeeper over the past year and Williams is nominated alongside the likes of Spaniard Unai Simon, Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa and Argentina, plus Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), among others.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams is the first African-based shot stopper to be nominated for the prestigious award. As such, it is a guarantee that Bafana Bafana will miss his immense quality as a goalkeeper, as well as a leader. Win or lose. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ricardo Goss (SuperSport United), Veli Mothwa (AmaZulu) and Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates) will fight for the goalkeeper’s jersey for the clashes against Uganda and South Sudan.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2245499\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TL_2226095.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1738\" height=\"1154\" /> <em>Ronwen Williams in action during South Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on 11 June 2024. (Photo: Johan Pretorius / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>The lion weeps</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A big-name player who was completely omitted by Broos (despite being physically fit) is Egypt-based forward Percy Tau. The Al Ahly attacker has had a tough few months. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was out for a month with a hamstring injury between June and July. Since his return he has hardly featured for the Red Devils, managing a paltry 47 minutes of action in the team’s final 10 matches of the Egyptian Premier League.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The player knows why he is not with us. I told him and he does not agree. That’s another thing and it is a good thing, because that means he wants to play for Bafana Bafana. He has to understand because I know the criticism that he gets after a Bafana game. Don’t tell me it does not affect him,” Broos said.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more: </b><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-06-16-coach-hugo-broos-is-rebuilding-the-bafana-bafana-squads-fighting-spirit/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coach Hugo Broos is rebuilding the Bafana Bafana squad’s fighting spirit</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“For those important and intensive games Percy will not be mentally ready – he knows that. I don’t have a problem that a player is not agreeing with what I am telling him. That is a very good mentality, showing that ‘I want to be with Bafana’. He will be with Bafana when things are clear.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“His situation at Al Ahly is not clear. He did not play [much], it means there is a problem with the coach and the club. I know it, and it is not because I read it in the papers.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Tau-less Bafana Bafana host Uganda at 6pm at Orlando Stadium tomorrow (Friday). Their clash against South Sudan is on Tuesday, 10 September. Kick-off is at 3pm in Juba. </span><b>DM</b>",
"teaser": "‘Annoyed’ Bafana boss Hugo Broos confident his side can start Afcon qualifiers perfectly",
"externalUrl": "",
"sponsor": null,
"authors": [
{
"id": "19802",
"name": "Yanga Sibembe",
"image": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sibembe.jpg",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/author/yanga-sibembe/",
"editorialName": "yanga-sibembe",
"department": "",
"name_latin": ""
}
],
"description": "",
"keywords": [
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "41930",
"name": "Football",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/football/",
"slug": "football",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Football",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "49120",
"name": "sport",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/sport/",
"slug": "sport",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "sport",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "50844",
"name": "Percy Tau",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/percy-tau/",
"slug": "percy-tau",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Percy Tau",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "52084",
"name": "Africa Cup of Nations",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/africa-cup-of-nations/",
"slug": "africa-cup-of-nations",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Africa Cup of Nations",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "53021",
"name": "soccer",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/soccer/",
"slug": "soccer",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "soccer",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "55712",
"name": "Bafana Bafana",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/bafana-bafana/",
"slug": "bafana-bafana",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Bafana Bafana",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "350798",
"name": "Hugo Broos",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/hugo-broos/",
"slug": "hugo-broos",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Hugo Broos",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "356072",
"name": "Ronwen Williams",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/ronwen-williams/",
"slug": "ronwen-williams",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Ronwen Williams",
"translations": null
}
}
],
"short_summary": null,
"source": null,
"related": [],
"options": [],
"attachments": [
{
"id": "18934",
"name": " Ronwen Williams of South Africa during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Free State Stadium on June 11, 2024 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images)",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Bafana Bafana begin their qualification campaign for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – following their bronze-winning performance at the 2023 edition – head coach Hugo Broos is hoping they can sprint out of the blocks faster than a cheetah.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">South Africa is in Group K, alongside Congo-Brazzaville, South Sudan and Uganda, as they plot a path to Morocco for the 2025 Afcon. The showpiece is scheduled to begin on 21 December 2025, with the final on 18 January 2026.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bafana Bafana begin their qualification with a home clash against Uganda at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Friday, 6 September. Broos and his troops will then head to Juba, South Sudan, for their second qualifier. The coach is aiming for a full complement of points at the culmination of this international round. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It’s very important to have a good start when you’re playing qualifiers. When you have a good start, you put pressure on your opponents. When you don’t, it’s the opposite. And we have to try and avoid that,” Broos told journalists.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“A good start for me will be six out of six points… So, let’s try to win those two games. We have the quality for that. We have the confidence for that. But that does not mean we must underestimate our opponents,” the Belgian continued.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2348810\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2348810\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TL_2224250-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Bafana Afcon Broos\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1458\" /> <em>Percy Tau and coach Hugo Broos at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, on 6 June 2024. (Photo: Oty Silas / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>Match fitness annoyance</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The timing of this international window means most players head into the tone-setting fixtures having played one or two games, while a couple of locally based players in the Bafana Bafana side are yet to feature in any competitive action so far, with the South African Premiership only commencing on 14 September.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hence, in choosing his squad, Broos leaned mostly towards players from teams such as Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City, SuperSport United and Polokwane City, from the locally based cohort.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are teams who have tasted some competitive action via their participation in the MTN8 – which is contested as a curtain-raiser for the new season, by teams that finish in the top half of the Premiership. Nevertheless, Broos is far from pleased. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“That means we have players that have not played so many good games,” he stated.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“I know that the clubs who are not playing in the MTN8, or playing preliminary games in the Caf Champions League or Confederation Cup are playing friendly games with each other. But it’s not the same [as a competitive match]. The qualifiers will be totally different to that,” the 72-year-old said.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“It annoys me a little bit and I’ll have to see how we can manage that. The most important thing is that we have the right mentality. If we can show the right mentality, we will not suffer so much from the lack of games.”</span>\r\n<h4><b>New captain</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the absence of regular skipper and superstar goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, veteran playmaker Themba Zwane will captain South Africa in the crucial qualification matches.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams is still trying to shake off a shoulder injury, but will receive a positive boost from the fact that he recently made history after being announced as one of the nominees for the Ballon D’or Yashin Award.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The prize is handed to the best goalkeeper over the past year and Williams is nominated alongside the likes of Spaniard Unai Simon, Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa and Argentina, plus Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), among others.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Williams is the first African-based shot stopper to be nominated for the prestigious award. As such, it is a guarantee that Bafana Bafana will miss his immense quality as a goalkeeper, as well as a leader. Win or lose. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ricardo Goss (SuperSport United), Veli Mothwa (AmaZulu) and Sipho Chaine (Orlando Pirates) will fight for the goalkeeper’s jersey for the clashes against Uganda and South Sudan.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2245499\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1738\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2245499\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/TL_2226095.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1738\" height=\"1154\" /> <em>Ronwen Williams in action during South Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on 11 June 2024. (Photo: Johan Pretorius / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>The lion weeps</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A big-name player who was completely omitted by Broos (despite being physically fit) is Egypt-based forward Percy Tau. The Al Ahly attacker has had a tough few months. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was out for a month with a hamstring injury between June and July. Since his return he has hardly featured for the Red Devils, managing a paltry 47 minutes of action in the team’s final 10 matches of the Egyptian Premier League.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The player knows why he is not with us. I told him and he does not agree. That’s another thing and it is a good thing, because that means he wants to play for Bafana Bafana. He has to understand because I know the criticism that he gets after a Bafana game. Don’t tell me it does not affect him,” Broos said.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more: </b><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-06-16-coach-hugo-broos-is-rebuilding-the-bafana-bafana-squads-fighting-spirit/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coach Hugo Broos is rebuilding the Bafana Bafana squad’s fighting spirit</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“For those important and intensive games Percy will not be mentally ready – he knows that. I don’t have a problem that a player is not agreeing with what I am telling him. That is a very good mentality, showing that ‘I want to be with Bafana’. He will be with Bafana when things are clear.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“His situation at Al Ahly is not clear. He did not play [much], it means there is a problem with the coach and the club. I know it, and it is not because I read it in the papers.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Tau-less Bafana Bafana host Uganda at 6pm at Orlando Stadium tomorrow (Friday). Their clash against South Sudan is on Tuesday, 10 September. Kick-off is at 3pm in Juba. </span><b>DM</b>",
"focal": "50% 50%",
"width": 0,
"height": 0,
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg",
"transforms": [
{
"x": "200",
"y": "100",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/KGQSEJEbNp7-wTkT_r-P4ZwPh8o=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg"
},
{
"x": "450",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/-bU1Hx2K-QSkXFjrJ6TkedGYVsw=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg"
},
{
"x": "800",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/T8KgwzJJf3ICM_AtlGSOnf06oPQ=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1200",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/6Jlz3_pPlQ5B6BOVTSDT1CAGfY8=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1600",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/w5MDABwPFOdt_b67-0jdeheDRDA=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg"
}
],
"url_thumbnail": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/KGQSEJEbNp7-wTkT_r-P4ZwPh8o=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg",
"url_medium": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/-bU1Hx2K-QSkXFjrJ6TkedGYVsw=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg",
"url_large": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/T8KgwzJJf3ICM_AtlGSOnf06oPQ=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg",
"url_xl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/6Jlz3_pPlQ5B6BOVTSDT1CAGfY8=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg",
"url_xxl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/w5MDABwPFOdt_b67-0jdeheDRDA=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Percy-Tau-.jpg",
"type": "image"
}
],
"summary": "Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is concerned about the match fitness of his players before two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Nevertheless, he is targeting six points. ",
"template_type": null,
"dm_custom_section_label": null,
"elements": [],
"seo": {
"search_title": "‘Annoyed’ Bafana boss Hugo Broos confident his side can start Afcon qualifiers perfectly",
"search_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Bafana Bafana begin their qualification campaign for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – following their bronze-winning performance at the 2023 e",
"social_title": "‘Annoyed’ Bafana boss Hugo Broos confident his side can start Afcon qualifiers perfectly",
"social_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Bafana Bafana begin their qualification campaign for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) – following their bronze-winning performance at the 2023 e",
"social_image": ""
},
"cached": true,
"access_allowed": true
} 
Percy Tau and coach Hugo Broos at Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, on 6 June 2024. (Photo: Oty Silas / Gallo Images)
Ronwen Williams in action during South Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on 11 June 2024. (Photo: Johan Pretorius / Gallo Images)