South Africa coach Hugo Broos has dismissed claims that his team has regressed following their Africa Cup of Nations exit at the round of 16, shifting attention instead to preparations for the upcoming World Cup.
Bafana Bafana’s campaign ended on Sunday in Rabat after a 2-1 defeat to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions, two years after finishing third at the last AFCON in Ivory Coast.
“We are not going backwards — perhaps in some matches our performances were not at the usual level of South Africa, but you cannot say that about today’s game,” the veteran Belgian coach said, adding that luck had not favoured his side against Cameroon.
South Africa advanced from their group in second place behind Egypt, with narrow wins against Angola and Zimbabwe, and a defeat to the Pharaohs.
“Sometimes you need fortune on your side. Two years ago in the quarter-final against Cape Verde, Ronwen Williams made a crucial save; otherwise, we could have lost that game,” Broos said. “Today, luck wasn’t on our side. We’re not going backwards, but we must evaluate our performance here as we look ahead to the World Cup.”
South Africa qualified for the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010. They topped their qualifying group ahead of Nigeria and will open their campaign against co-hosts Mexico on June 11, before facing South Korea and a European play-off winner in the group stage.
Broos confirmed that friendly matches in March will form part of the team’s preparation for the tournament.
“In the coming days and weeks, we will review what went well and what didn’t. The World Cup is in six months, and we need to be ready. By March, we aim to be fully prepared for the friendlies and for the finals,” he added.
