There have been so many twists and turns but the fact that Bafana Bafana have finally got their man, Hugo Broos, will hopefully trigger the SA Football Association to forge a much more healthy relationship between them and the public, and I’m including the media.
Chaotic scenes of division erupted between a section of the media and the association during the unveiling of Broos this week. Broos was announced by Safa chief executive committee Tebogo Motlanthe live on national TV at 1pm.
But the Safa delegation led by president Danny Jordaan only announced Broos to the present media at the venue 30 minutes later.
The national broadcaster is entitled to some privileges as they pump millions of rand into Safa as their official broadcaster. But such a delicate matter should have been treated with caution. Jordaan did apologise for the inferior treatment given to some of the media houses.
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But I hope he was genuine in his apology. Already, the absence of Broos at the venue was confusing considering that Safa rescheduled the first press conference two weeks ago after citing Covid-19 travelling issues for the incoming coach.
That postponement ruffled feathers, suggesting that the association hadn’t yet found their man, and that instead they were stalling. And that’s why the names of coaches such as Benni McCarthy who’s had an impressive stint at AmaZulu started to come to the fore.
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The Technical Committee chaired by Jack Maluleka did not recommend any other name than that of Broos to the National Executive. Broos is no stranger to African football after inspiring the Indomitable Lions to the Africa Cup of Nations crown four years ago.
With Safa looking all clueless in the last few weeks, they’ll know that they have to earn the trust of the public again, as well as the media. That’s why going forward, from the arrival and first press conference of Broos next week, they’ll need to be transparent.
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After all, for Broos to succeed, he will need the backing of everyone: the association, media and public. His success in African and Belgian football may be well documented, but it’s hard to gauge how much he knows about our nation having watched from afar.
Broos’s vision to plan his team around the youngsters should be embraced by everyone, although it might come at a price: not yielding instant results. Broos is under no pressure to hit the ground running after
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Caf postponed the World Cup qualifiers from June to September.
From next month, he’ll also have time to work with the future Bafana stars, the players in the under-23 national team.
The David Notoane-coached side will assemble for camp for their preparations of the Tokyo Olympic Games which will start in July.
I hope that the arrival of Broos will not only bring a breath of fresh air to the national team’s aspirations, but to Safa’s as well. That’s why the association should get their house in order in their bid of establishing a new dawn in South African football.