Benni McCarthy tipped as ‘no‐brainer’ to replace Broos as Bafana Bafana coach

TS Galaxy chairman Tim Sukazi says Benni McCarthy should be appointed as the next Bafana Bafana head coach, insisting Hugo Broos has taken the national side as far as he can.

Sukazi believes the former South Africa striker is the outstanding candidate to lead the team into a new era, praising his record in club management and his current work abroad.

“Benni McCarthy…is doing magic with an unfashionable side in Kenya,” Sukazi told reporters at TS Galaxy’s squad unveiling in Pretoria. “He has done a splendid job at all the teams he coached here when he was a novice in the coaching field.

“At AmaZulu, he finished second, and he won the MTN8 with Cape Town City, and his teams have been high up there. That’s the truth, and these are the facts.”

Broos’s contract with the South African Football Association (Safa) expired after the Fifa World Cup, where he indicated he would retire, but the governing body has yet to make a final decision on his future.

‘If you ask me, I’ll go for Benni’

Sukazi, one of the more outspoken figures in the Premier Soccer League, said McCarthy’s age, achievements and status in South African football make him the ideal choice.

“He’s young. So, if you ask me, I will go for Benni McCarthy, no doubt about it,” he said.

“I am saying that with the utmost respect to other candidates. I don’t know if Benni is a candidate, and I don’t know the other candidates. There has been mention of coach Pitso [Mosimane]. [But] if I were to go for personal choice, I would go for Benni.”

McCarthy, South Africa’s all‐time leading international goalscorer, has built a strong coaching resume in recent years, including lifting the MTN8 trophy with Cape Town City and guiding AmaZulu to a runners‐up finish in the league.

Sukazi argues those achievements, combined with McCarthy’s work in his current role in Kenya, show he has the tactical and motivational qualities needed at international level.

Criticism of Broos over player comments

Alongside backing McCarthy, Sukazi strongly criticised Broos for comments he says have undermined South African players’ career choices and reputations.

Sukazi took issue with the Belgian’s reaction to Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s move to the United States.

“When Mbokazi left for the US, he [Broos] said the [US] league is poor and he should have moved to better leagues. But now who was our best player at the World Cup playing in what league?” he asked, suggesting Broos’s assessment of foreign competitions had been shown up by performances at the tournament.

He also accused Broos of being unfairly dismissive of Relebohile Mofokeng, who recently joined Belgian club Royale Union Saint‐Gilloise.

“Sometimes we must be truthful. [Broos] has already made statements about Rele [Relebohile Mofokeng] that he is weak; he must be strong; he won’t play in six months, influencing the minds [of Belgium team Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, where Mofokeng plays].”

‘He was taken there to learn’

Sukazi further claimed that Mofokeng was initially not central to Broos’s tactical plans during the World Cup and only gained a real opportunity due to a sending‐off.

“I think you know Rele was not on his plans to play from what I saw [during the World Cup], the red card with Themba Zwane gave him the opportunity. He was third in the line in that position. He was taken there to learn.”

The TS Galaxy boss’s remarks highlight growing debate around the direction of the national team, player development and how best to manage emerging talent abroad.

Safa has not yet commented publicly on Sukazi’s intervention, nor on whether McCarthy, Mosimane or any other coach is formally in contention. But with Broos’s future unresolved after the World Cup and pressure building for renewal, the call for McCarthy to take charge adds further intrigue to South Africa’s looming coaching decision.