If Bafana ‘lose both games, five minutes later I will be on the flight to Belgium’: Broos

Hugo Broos has checked the permutations and confirmed that draws in both their qualifiers against Uganda away and South Sudan in Cape Town will see Bafana Bafana through to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The coach, in his outspoken and colourful manner, said in a scenario where Bafana lose against Uganda in Kampala on Friday then draw against South Sudan at Cape Town Stadium on November 19, and choke on what seems an almost certain qualification, he will quit his job.

A win from either match will see this year’s bronze medallists South Africa qualify for the tournament in Morocco that spans December 2025 and January 2026, regardless of the other result.

“You know if we lose both games, five minutes later I will be on the flight back to Belgium,” the 72-year-old, who won the 2017 Nations Cup with a young Cameroon, said.

“If we can’t win ... OK with Uganda [we can lose], but not with South Sudan. I tell you [if that happened] I would take the flight immediately and you would never see me back again.”

Uganda have 10 points in Group K, Bafana eight, Congo four and South Sudan zero after four matches.

Broos said, aware of how in the past South Africa have been embarrassed by situations of not knowing the permutations, he has looked into the rules to be sure of what is needed.

The Confederation of African Football, unlike Fifa with goal difference, uses head to head as its first criteria if teams are level on points, meaning the record of the sides against each other then counts.

“With two draws we will qualify because in the game against Congo we won [5-0 in Gqeberha, with a 1-1 draw away], and with two draws we would be six points ahead of Congo [before their remaining two matches, so even if they won both they would draw level].

“I have to be honest I did look at the rules to make sure because I know a few years ago Bafana were dancing on the pitch [after a 2012 Nations Cup qualifying draw against Sierra Leone in Mbombela in 2011] and they were not qualified. And we can’t make a mistake.”

Bafana made their biggest stride escaping the malaise that gripped the national team for almost two decades from the mid-2000s through the 2010s with their bronze in Ivory Coast this year.

They were within a penalty shoot-out against Nigeria in the semifinals of reaching the final. With the core of that mostly young team remaining and even more talented players emerging, South Africa would look to go even better in the next Afcon.

It would be a major setback of the team did not qualify.

“It would be shame for us if we don’t qualify for Afcon,” Broos said. “We have the quality, we have the bronze medal — can you image if the bronze medallists of nine months ago cannot even qualify for the next Afcon?

“So I am not thinking about that because, again, my confidence is big in this team — we cannot accept if we shouldn’t be qualified for Afcon.”

In his update on his squad’s arrivals and injuries Broos said foreign-based Siyabonga Ngezana and Luke Le Roux will arrive on Tuesday “because they played yesterday”.

“Mihlali Mayambela is out with injury and he is replaced by Devin Titus from Stellenbosch.”