‘We’ll go five years back’ – Hugo Broos fires warning over Pitso Mosimane’s possible Bafana return

Former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has delivered a stinging assessment of Pitso Mosimane’s potential return to the South Africa national team, warning that his appointment could send the side “five years back in time”.

Broos, who recently ended his five-year tenure as Bafana coach, made the remarks in a revealing interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, where he also raised concerns about the influence of agents and club owners on national team selection.

South Africa are yet to appoint Broos’ permanent successor, with Mosimane reportedly among the leading candidates for the position.

“South Africa still don’t have a coach,” Broos told Het Nieuwsblad. “The candidate is Pitso Mosimane, a successful South African coach. But they know that if he comes in, they’ll go five years back in time.”

The Belgian also suggested that the national team had previously faced outside pressure over player selections, insisting he refused to allow agents or club owners to influence his decisions.

“Club owners and agents calling coaches to influence the squad selection. I threw all of them out. If one called, I would say bluntly: ‘I don’t talk with agents’.”

Broos struggled to leave South Africa

Despite his criticism of the direction Bafana could take under a new coach, Broos admitted that leaving the national team was an emotional decision after developing a strong bond with the country.

The 74-year-old said he seriously considered extending his stay after receiving pleas from people within South African football, including SAFA president Danny Jordaan.

“I underestimated it. The closer the end came, the more people asked me not to stop. There are people who have now lost their jobs because I’m no longer continuing. My driver, for example, people drive like cowboys in South Africa.”

Broos also revealed that Jordaan offered him the possibility of working around his family commitments by allowing him to return to Belgium for several months each year.

“The federation president (Danny Jordaan) even said: ‘We understand that you miss your family. Just write down when you want to come.’ So only a week before the match did I consider returning to South Africa.”

However, Broos eventually decided that his time with Bafana had to end.

“It’s terrible for those people, but it has to end at some point.”

‘I’ve never experienced that kind of gratitude’

Broos leaves after a period in which South Africa enjoyed notable progress, including finishing third at the Africa Cup of Nations and reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup.

He said the affection shown by supporters made his departure particularly difficult.

“I had to swallow hard a few times during those final weeks, yes. I’ve never experienced that kind of gratitude before. Especially after we finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations, and now also reaching the knockout stage for the first time.”

Broos recalled how his popularity grew during his time in the country, with supporters regularly stopping him for photographs.

“Every time there would be 10 to 15 people asking for selfies, cars would stop and people would roll down their windows. Once, a car blocked the entire street like that: two policemen wanted a photo,” he added.

Retirement begins but coaching chapter is closed

Although Broos expects retirement to become difficult eventually, he insists he has no intention of returning to coaching.

“Now I have no worries, no phone calls. Getting up and seeing what the day brings. For now, that’s absolutely fine. I know myself. In a few months, this situation will become a problem.”

Broos revealed that he recently rejected an approach to coach Ivory Coast, saying the decision would have been different earlier in his career.

“Fourteen days ago I got a call asking me to take charge of Ivory Coast. If they had asked me that 10 years ago, I’d already have been there.”

He said the demands of coaching had increasingly become difficult to sustain, particularly the preparation and constant travel involved.

“When you start to feel that, you might as well close the books. One day you no longer feel like doing the job properly. I don’t want that either. That’s why I decided last year that the World Cup would be the ideal time to stop.”