Former Bafana Bafana coach Jomo Sono has advised Hugo Broos to continue with his job and close ears to outside noises.
Broos has been lauded for transforming the national team but there are also murmurs of discontent from certain quarters with the complaint being that he does not select certain players or choose from some clubs.
However, Sono, who coached Bafana Bafana in three stints as caretaker coach in 1998, 2002 and 2003 feels Broos should not be listening to anyone as his record already speaks for itself.
“Bafana Bafana has a good coach, and I like him because he is not influenced by anyone. He follows his beliefs and it is paying off,” Sono told KickOff.
How has Hugo Broos performed so far?
“The fans won’t give you results, results come from performing well on the pitch. I remember receiving a lot of criticism when I led Bafana Bafana to the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations but I ended up in the final,” Sono added of the tournament that South Africa lost to Egypt in Burkina Faso.
Sono has been impressed with Broos’ work with the tactician leading Bafana Bafana to third place at the 2023 Africa cup of Nations and qualifying effortlessly for the 2025 edition.
Broos’ team are also in good stead as far as qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is concerned as they lead their group with 13 points from six matches, five head of both Rwanda and Benin.
As such, Sono says Broos has earned the right to do things his own way.
Sono advises Bafana boss to ‘close his ears’
“Do not listen to anyone, you are doing a great job as it is,” the Orlando Pirates legend said in his message to Broos.
“As the head coach, you are the only one who should be making decisions. Anyone who has an issue with that should become a coach and choose his own players.
“Broos is delivering results so how can anyone find fault with someone who is winning games for us?” posed the Jomo Cosmos boss.
“He is not selecting certain players because he has determined he does not need them in his squad, that is simply how it is. I achieved good results in 1998 because I did not select certain players. Let the man work peacefully and take us to the World cup.”
Pirates legend says SA does not need superstars
Sono does not believe that Broos habours anything against a club or player and makes selection based on what he needs to produce results.
“As coach, you are the one whose head will be on the chopping board when the team loses,” said Sono.
“We are going to the World Cup; definitely. We are winning our games. The country wants results, not superstars. They do not care about names, let us just support the winning national team.”
Broos, whose tenure ends in 2026 after the World Cup, is hoping to deliver South Africa to the global tournament for the first time since 2010.
