Exclusive: Matthew Booth Talks About the "New Look" Bafana Bafana Making Waves

Exclusive: Matthew Booth Talks About the "New Look" Bafana Bafana Making Waves

Thando Mpembe
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:47 PM

When Hugo Broos first arrived as the coach of Bafana Bafana, expectations weren't too high because there was a lot of rebuilding to do. In a short amount of time, the coach has had an impressive run and South Africans are impressed.

Briefly News spoke to Matthew Booth about how he's feeling about the current situation in the national team and Broos' progress so far.

Bafana Bafana are looking like a well-oiled machine and the country is loving their newfound form. It seemed like all hope was lost for the national team a few months ago but a quick rebuild by Hugo Broos has lifted the spirits of many citizens.

Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, former Bafana Bafana player Matthew Booth details how he feels about the current performances and if the team can go any further in the competition.

Matthew Booth, Bafana Bafana, Hugo Broos, South African national team, World Cup qualifiers, Qatar 2022
Matthew Booth gives credit where it's due and thinks that Hugo Broos is doing a decent job. Image: Alex Livesey
Source: Getty Images
"First of all we need to give credit to Broos for picking a very young team. Every coach has a different opinion, football is very subjective so what I see is not necessarily going to be what he sees and I think as football fans and pundits, we need to accept that," said Booth.

Booth says that the most important thing is getting behind the team and accepting the coach's way of doing things, even though it might not be very conventional.

"A lot of emphases is put on clubs and not our national team. I think that has also got to change. We went through a long barren spell between 2002 and 2008 where results weren't forthcoming and now in the last 11 years our results have been pretty poor," he told Briefly News.

Booth highlighted how Bafana Bafana turned into a bit of a laughing stock and Broos has now given South Africans the opportunity to get behind the team again.

"The football hasn't necessarily been good to watch but results are all important and that's what they've given us. If I can sum up this team, it's a gutty team with a lot of character and a lot of hard workers," said Booth.

The former player added that the team has now put Mzansi in a position to qualify for a World Cup and the proper football will come later, he says that it's a building stage at the moment. According to Booth, Broos' mandate wasn't to get to Qatar but what he's done so far is good to see.

Mzansi fans call coach Hugo Broos the "real deal"

Briefly News previously reported that Mzansi is still buzzing over the 1-0 win Bafana Bafana got against Ethiopia at the FNB stadium and are loving Hugo Broos' management style.

The World Cup qualifying game was a crucial game for the team, which now has 10 points and is at the top of the group. Fans can't believe that Bafana Bafana has won three games in a row in the qualifiers.

Not only that, but the team is looking very good after a serious revamp from coach Hugo Broos. A Mzansi fan took to social media to praise Broos for his efforts. He said:

"Hugo Broos is the real deal! He made us believe in Bafana Bafana again."
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