Cape Town - Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has rightfully enjoyed the respect of the football world, but over the weekend he would have realised that at the age of 70, he is anything but the finished product.
Despite the failed 2022 World Cup qualification process, he has proved to be an excellent choice as Bafana coach.
When he was appointed in May 2021, he decided Bafana needed a fresh start with fresh faces, and he was roundly applauded for what appeared to be noble intentions.
In the process, Broos stripped the South African national squad of experience, and his greenhorns surprised all and sundry in their opening matches.
They won against higher-ranked teams like Senegal and Ghana, but then failed in the crucial return fixture against the Black Stars – albeit at the hands of a suspect official who awarded a dubious penalty against SA.
Throughout this stage of his early tenure, Broos’ decision to leave seasoned players out in the cold seemed justified.
He copped loads of flak when Bafana were walloped 5-0 by reigning world champions France in a friendly earlier this year.
Up to this stage, Broos had to contend with problems arising on several fronts and to the overall detriment of his team.
The biggest problem was not having enough time to prepare.
The failure to secure good quality opponents for regular friendlies was another major issue.
Broos also created problems by not selecting players who could bring a measure of experience to his teams, which were mostly untried combinations.
A few days ago, Broos named the evergreen Themba Zwane in the Bafana squad for two friendlies, much to the surprise of all.
The Mamelodi Sundowns stalwart ran out in the starting XI against Sierra Leone on Saturday and produced a man-of-the-match performance.
Broos was so impressed with Zwane – who also scored two goals in the team’s 4-0 win – that he felt the experienced campaigner may have been the “missing link” in the team.
The important lesson here is that Broos should not write off players who are on the wrong side of 30.
Zwane is 33-years-old, and Broos may have been thinking that a 36-year-old would be past his sell-by date at the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.
The Belgian coach should rather think that Zwane can help Bafana reach the 2026 global showpiece.
Perhaps with him in the ranks, Bafana may have beaten Ghana in that return World Cup qualifying match.
Zwane can also inspire players around him, as he usually does for Sundowns.
One player who seemed to thrive with Zwane playing immediately behind him was Zakhele Lepasa, the lone striker in the Bafana’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
Like Zwane, Lepasa made a glorious return to the national team.
The Orlando Pirates striker last played for Bafana in 2019, when he made his debut in a Cosafa Cup match.
Since then, he has been out of favour, but after several marksmen were injured, he returned to the national team.
Another player Broos should bring in from the cold is the 32-year-old Andile Jali, the Sundowns midfielder, who, like Zwane, was also initially considered too old for Bafana.