Coach Hugo Broos had a successful spell with Cameroon when he was at the helm of the Indomitable Lions between March 2016 and November 2017, and he led the West African country to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title during that period.
While that triumph is remembered fondly, these sentiments will be forgotten when the Belgian mentor leads Bafana Bafana against his former team at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday, 4 January 2026 in an Africa Cup of Nations Last 16 match that has whipped up excitement here in this North African country.
“If you win an AFCON with a country, there’s always a little place in your heart that stays for the rest of your life, and that’s the case with Cameroon and me. It will always be there. But tomorrow I can’t have mercy on them. I want to win the game tomorrow because I am the coach of South Africa now,” he said.
Influential midfielder Teboho Mokoena said the team is excited ahead of a match that will decide who proceeds to the quarterfinals of the continental tournament.
“Of course, as a team we are excited about the game tomorrow. The talk we are having (as players) is that we must do better than we did in the last AFCON (Bafana Bafana finished third with a bronze medal). We know that it is going to be a tough game against Cameroon, but we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
Bafana Bafana reached the Last 16 stage of this AFCON after finishing second behind Egypt in Group B.
SOURCED FROM THE SAFA WEBSITE.
