Sports Analyst Blames Bafana Bafana vs Mali 2–0 AFCON Loss on Hugo Broos’ Poor Decision-Making
- Bafana Bafana were beaten 2-0 in their opening match at the African Cup of Nations against Mali
- The team's performance tanked in the second half as they made mistakes in the defence, which cost them dearly
- Sports analyst Mathews Mpete told Briefly News that Hugo Broos made a mistake selecting players from two teams only
With eight years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist, provided coverage of current affairs, shedding light on sports-related news, events and developments in the sports sector.
Source: Getty Images
Bafana Bafana must win their next match against Namibia if they want to stand a chance to compete in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) knockout stages. They suffered a 2-0 defeat in their opening match, and sports analyst and veteran sports journalist Mathews Mpete questioned coach Hugo Broos' selection decisions.
Mali defeated Bafana Bafana
South Africa's national football team faced Mali during their opening match at the AFCON tournament. Bafana Bafana's performance was lackadaisical as the squad struggled to maintain their rhythm. TimesLIVE said South Africa kept Mali at bay for the first half. Mali returned after the break to punish Bafana Bafana with two goals in only six minutes.
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Analyst tells Briefly News Broos made poor decisions
Mathews Mpete provides sports analysis for SABC Sports, was Daily Sun and Sunday Sun sports editor for over a decade, and has over 13 years of experience as a sports journalist. He told Briefly News that Bafana Bafana's 2-0 loss to Mali resulted from poor decisions from Broos. Mpete believed that Broos mistakenly selected more than nine players from Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates.
“There were some players that Broos left out in his squad from his initial 50 preliminary squad announced last year, which was trimmed to 23, many of whom deserved a place on the team. The poor scouting and not having a designated scout is a serious Achilles' heel for Broos, and his poor team management is starting to show as cracks open wide,” he said.
“Percy Tau’s missed penalty in the first half was a big upset, as it demoralised the players and put everyone under immense pressure. While at it, Mali regained composure, focused and took advantage of Bafana’s terrible defending and howlers from their goalkeeper, Ronwen Williams.
“It’s now back to the drawing board. But first, the defence needs to be improved against Namibia on Sunday, 21 January. Bafana must beat Namibia to stay in contention for a place in the Last 16,” he added.
Netizens grill Bafana Bafana
South Africans on Facebook roasted the entire team, from coach to players.
MG Magdidi Batista said:
“That overrated useless boy Percy missed a penalty that could have changed the entire game.”
Leepo Mokoteli added:
“Mudau was ineffective as a right back, and the central defence was always suspect.”
Ronald Stuurman wrote:
“I expected that. Broos is a liability to the team. He brings a lot of negativity to the team.”
Mduduzi Paulos Mthembu remarked:
“SA can’t even beat Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe. That’s just the way we are.”
Thamo Linda asked:
“How can you miss a penalty at this tournament?”
Hugo Broos slammed for setting low bar for AFCON
Similarly, Briefly News reported that Hugo Broos hoped to pass the AFCON group stages.
Broos recently revealed that Bafana Bafana is in a tough group with teams like Mali, Tunisia, and Namibia, and said that passing the group stage is the tamSä's first goal.
South Africans were not impressed with his words and called him out, accusing him of setting the bar too low for the team.
Source: Briefly News
