Vilakazi Says Bafana Bafana Were Afraid Under Broos, Praises Mosimane's Bold Approach
- Bafana Bafana legend Benedict Vilakazi compared Hugo Broos and Pitso Mosimane's coaching styles after South Africa's 1-0 win over Egypt
- Vilakazi claimed Broos prioritised defensive tactics that stifled individual brilliance, recalling a damaging AFCON loss to Egypt
- The former Orlando Pirates captain reflected on Mosimane's surprising team selection that caught even him off guard
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Source: UGC
SOUTH AFRICA — Bafana Bafana legend Benedict Vilakazi has spoken candidly about the tactical contrast between incoming coach Pitso Mosimane and his predecessor Hugo Broos, saying the national team played with fear under the Belgian.
Vilakazi shared his views on the Omni Audio Africa YouTube Channel following Bafana's 1-0 victory over Egypt in an international friendly in Cairo, where a second-half goal from Puso Dithejane secured the result.
Mosimane's bold changes set the tone
What drew attention in the Egypt encounter was Mosimane's sweeping changes to the starting line-up, with Luther Singh, Tashreeq Matthews, Cassius Mailula, Brooklyn Poggenpoel and goalkeeper Sipho Chaine all handed starts.
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For Vilakazi, the selection reflected a coaching philosophy far removed from what South Africa experienced under Broos.
"If it was coach Hugo Broos, he was going to go with his own team, he was not going to make those changes, never!" Vilakazi said, according to KickOff.
"And two, Broos was going to defend, not having attacking players. Coach Pitso, because he understands African football, he understands players who are playing in South Africa and players playing for the Egypt team."
Vilakazi pointed to Bafana's previous AFCON meeting with Egypt as evidence of what a defensive mind-set had cost the team.
"We played against Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, what happened? We defended and we ended up losing the game.
"Not that they were better than us, but we were afraid of trying to create something, trying to use our players with individual brilliance, trying to play according to the strengths of our players."
Source: Twitter
"The line-up shocked the Egyptians"
The former Orlando Pirates captain admitted that even he had mixed emotions when Mosimane named his starting eleven, but acknowledged the boldness of the call paid off.
"Something different that coach Pitso did was a new line-up. The line-up shocked the Egyptians, even myself.
"I know you need to give players a chance. I had mixed emotions, but coach Pitso came with something I didn't think of... to change almost the whole team and all those players said, 'Coach we're here for you'," Vilakazi added.
Mosimane returned to the Bafana hot seat and immediately recorded wins over Guinea (2-1) and Eritrea (5-0) in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, placing South Africa at the top of Group D before the Egypt friendly rounded off the FIFA international break on a positive note.
Fresh questions emerge over Mosimane’s Al Ahly legacy
Briefly News previously reported that Pitso Mosimane’s time at Al Ahly delivered major continental success, but his tenure has come under renewed scrutiny following claims from a former club football chief.
The former official has made several allegations about Mosimane’s management style, his relationship with certain players and his conduct away from the pitch.
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Source: Briefly News
