Khumalo: Broos helped restore unity and belief in Bafana Bafana

Doctor Khumalo says Hugo Broos laid the foundations for South Africa’s recent progress by supporting a young squad and rebuilding unity within Bafana Bafana.

Broos officially left his position as South Africa coach last week after making history by becoming the first manager to guide the national team beyond the group stage of a FIFA World Cup, achieving the feat at the 2026 edition.

The Belgian’s five-year spell in charge is widely regarded as a major success, despite ending without a trophy. During his tenure, Broos lowered the average age of the squad and developed a competitive team that relied largely on players based in South Africa.

Khumalo, a key member of the Bafana Bafana side that won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations, believes the coach also succeeded in changing the players’ attitude towards representing their country.

The prestige attached to playing for South Africa, as well as the pride associated with the national team, was restored during Broos’ time in charge. Khumalo also credited the South African Football Association (SAFA) for allowing the coach time to develop the team after an early setback.

“We need to give credit to SAFA, that tells you when you lose and dismiss a coach, there won’t be continuity. In the (2022 World Cup) qualifiers Hugo lost to Ghana with the youngsters but he was given support and these are the results,” Khumalo said on Changing The Game With Pitso Mosimane podcast.

Broos’ defeat by Ghana during the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign came while he was introducing younger players to the senior squad. Rather than dismissing him, SAFA continued to back the Belgian, a decision Khumalo believes ultimately produced better results.

The former midfielder also drew a comparison between Broos’ Bafana Bafana side and the celebrated generation that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996.

He said the earlier team did not allow the strength of Nigeria’s overseas-based players to become a psychological barrier. Instead, South Africa focused on its own qualities, regardless of how many Nigerian players were competing in Europe.

“Looking at the current crop, I’ve always said that you know these boys are emulating the group of between 1992 and 1996. Because one, the group in ’92 until ’96 we didn’t care that Nigeria has got 20 players from Europe, that’s the first obstacle they got right.

“And the last thing, collectively, the current crop, you can see there’s unity and that’s exactly what we had. We’re seeing that a lot in this current crop, hence they are giving us these results,” Khumalo added.

According to Khumalo, that combination of self-belief and togetherness is visible in the present team and has contributed to its improved performances.

Broos’ other notable achievement was leading South Africa to third place at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, the country’s first finish in the top three at the tournament for 24 years.

His departure follows a period in which Bafana Bafana became more competitive, made greater use of locally based players and produced a squad capable of progressing at a World Cup. SAFA’s national executive committee has approved Broos’ successor, although the identity of the incoming coach was not provided in the source article.