Broos reveals what made leaving Bafana difficult
Former Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has revealed what made his decision to leave the national team job particularly difficult.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad last weekend, Broos said he considered continuing with Bafana after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite previously announcing that he would retire after the tournament in North America.
“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 said.
He also spoke about his assistant coach, Helman Mkhalele, who did not want to continue without him.
“My assistant coach, Helman Mkhalele, too. He didn’t want to stay without me. My wife knows Helman and felt sorry for him too. She said, ‘If you can stay for another year in a different role, with Helman as coach, then do it.’”
Broos said SAFA president Danny Jordaan also encouraged him to consider returning.
“The federation president 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.”
‘I’ve never experienced that kind of gratitude before’
Broos eventually decided against extending his stay.
“But I couldn’t bring myself to suggest that. I was embarrassed to propose it. During that week, when I was there to wrap everything up, I changed my mind at least 10 times.”
He admitted that the appreciation he received from South Africans made his departure even harder.
“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 supporters regularly approached him for photographs.
“From my apartment to the shopping centre was 300 metres. 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.”
Broos expects retirement to become difficult
The Belgian also admitted that retirement could eventually become boring.
“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.”
However, he insisted that he has no plans to return to coaching.
“Not because I want to return to coaching, mind you. That chapter is definitely closed, whoever calls. 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.”
Broos said the demands of coaching Bafana had also started taking a toll.
“I don’t mind being alone occasionally. But not seven days a week, for weeks on end, as it was during the last five years with South Africa.”
He added that he had increasingly needed to force himself to perform certain duties.
“Over the last two years I had to push myself to do certain things: prepare training sessions, study opponents. 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.”
