Frank Leboeuf urges Pitso Mosimane to build on Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana legacy

Pitso Mosimane has been told to preserve the foundations established by Hugo Broos as he begins his second spell in charge of Bafana Bafana.

Former FIFA World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf believes continuity will be central to ensuring South Africa’s progress continues after Broos’ departure.

The 74-year-old Belgian officially stepped down following a transformative five-year period as national team coach. Under his leadership, Bafana Bafana reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations and finished third, while also qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since the 2002 tournament.

South Africa then made further history at the global competition by reaching the knockout stages for the first time. Their campaign ended with a narrow defeat by co-hosts Canada in the Round of 32.

Mosimane has now been appointed to succeed Broos and must maintain the momentum built during the Belgian’s tenure while seeking to take the team forward.

“First, you have to have the acceptance of the players and the fans for the person following in the role,” Leboeuf told IOL in an exclusive interview, courtesy of Mr Gamble.

The former France international said Mosimane should publicly acknowledge Broos’ work rather than attempt an immediate change of direction.

“I think the coach will have to pay respect to the former coach and say, ‘I want to follow his path, see where we can improve, and work hard to make sure the nation is proud of our job.’

“It should be a continuity. If he tries to go elsewhere at first, he’s going to struggle because he will be criticised very quickly by the media and the fans.”

Mosimane also arrives with a strong connection to South African football. He is regarded as a local legend after leading Mamelodi Sundowns to five league titles before continuing his career abroad.

Leboeuf said the South African Football Federation’s decision represented a desire to move beyond Broos’ departure while continuing to raise the profile of the national team.

“The Federation wants to show they want to move forward, really improve, and make a statement: ‘We don’t have the guy we used to have who was very loved, but we accept the fact that he left, and we want to move forward and increase the visibility of that team.’

“Bafana Bafana is always something special, it’s kind of exotic, but it has to be better. It has to be better. I think a nation like South Africa deserves to have a better national football team, and I think they have the capability.

“Hopefully, they can move forward and do something that makes their team better. That’s the main thing I can say.”

Michael Sherman, IOL Sport