Broos talks tough ahead of World Cup qualifier against Nigeria

After a thrilling 3-3 draw with Algeria in Algiers on Tuesday night, South Africa’s Coach, Hugo Broos, thumbed his chest and said the Bafana Bafana are ready for any team in Africa, including Nigeria, whom they meet in a crucial World Cup qualifier in June, reports iol.co.za.

The Belgian, who described his team as among the best on the continent, has also assured Bafana Bafana fans that he would be around to lead the team to the World Cup qualifiers.

There were reports that Broos was planning to dump South Africa for a more lucrative offer from Tunisia, but Broos dismissed such claims.

Against the Desert Warriors, Themba Zwane scored a brace, while Iqraam Rayners scored the other as Bafana Bafana battled to a 3-3 draw with Algeria, who are ranked 15 spots ahead in the FIFA world rankings.

Speaking after the game, Broos said: “But I think today, we did it again. I don’t think we have to be afraid anymore of any team in Africa.”

Bafana are now ranked 58th in the FIFA world rankings mainly due to their exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year when they claimed the bronze medal.

The two friendly matches gave Broos the chance to widen his net of players he could call on for upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers starting in June.

“The team is brimming with confidence, which is also what I witnessed at the Afcon tournament. We are not just a team on the pitch but also a team off the pitch.

“This is very important, as we’re a squad of 23 players and only 11 but you see also that the guys on the bench are really supportive of those on the pitch.

“This is a very good thing and when you see this as a coach you can only be happy.

“What we showed at AFCON, we showed again on the pitch tonight that we’ve made a lot of progress.”

As for the contest against Algeria, Broos was just as impressed by his side. “What a game, it was a fantastic game from both teams and the performance of South Africa was really, really good today,” Broos said.

“We played against a very strong team, but I don’t think there was much difference in quality between Algeria and ourselves. So, that means that we have made a lot of progression in the last months, where we’ve shown that already at AFCON.”