SAFA produced a list of matches Broos has been in charge for since his May 2021 appointment, except there is a glaring error right at the top.
On the list is the 3-2 home friendly victory over Uganda on 10 June 2021, but assistant coach Helman Mkhalele was in charge for that game, in which Evidence Makgopa scored twice and Bongokuhle Hlongwane for the other.
In fact, Broos was not even in the country having returned to Belgium to receive a COVID-19 vaccination shot, and by any definition a coach has to be in the dug-out, or at the very least in the stadium, to be considered in charge of a fixture.
The Belgian’s first game in charge was therefore the 0-0 draw with Zimbabwe in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier that was played in Harare in September 2021, meaning his actual 50th game at the helm will be against Egypt in Agadir on Boxing Day.
Bafana have played another 34 matches in various in various competitions, including the COSAFA Cup and African Nations Championship (CHAN), where Broos was not in the dug-out during his tenure.
Four other coaches have taken charge in that time – Mkhalele, Morena Ramoreboli, Molefe Ntseki and Vela Khumalo.
And in the past, the likes of Shakes Mashaba, Jomo Sono and Conti Kubheka have all filled in for single games where the coach has not been available, and been credited with those matches under their own name.
Broos has therefore taken the helm for 48 matches, winning 24 of those to go with 19 draws and five defeats (not including Lesotho fixture which was won 2-0 but later overturned by FIFA due to an administrative error).
It is not the first time SAFA have erred. They made Benni McCarthy captain for an international against Tunisia in 2003, except it was his 51st game, having passed the milestone in the previous game against Egypt.
He is currently on a 20-game unbeaten run in competitive fixtures, since the 2-0 defeat to Mali in the opening game of the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire (not including semi-final loss to Nigeria on penalties that finsiehd 1-1).
In competitive matches, he has led the team 33 times and won 18 of those (55%), with 11 draws (33%) and four defeats (12%).
The losses came against Ghana (0-1) in the final match of the 2022 World Cup qualifying group in Cape Coast, when Bafana conceded a controversial penalty, and a 2-1 defeat away to Morocco at the start of qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
They also lost 2-0 to Rwanda on a difficult artificial surface in one of their early 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and 2-0 to Mali in their opening match at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in January 2024.
Match Details:
10 June, 2021 v Uganda 3-2 (Makgopa 62’, 83’, Hlongwane 67’; Orit 17’, Abdu 89’)
Friendly international, Orlando Stadium
South Africa: Ronwen Williams, Denwin Farmer (Thabiso Kutumela 46’), Rushine de Reuck, Nkosinathi Sibisi (Evidence Makgopa 46’), Innocent Maela, Sibusiso Mabiliso, Craig Martin, Ethan Brooks, Lebogang Maboe, Sphelele Mkhulise, Bongokuhle Hlongwane (Maphosa Modiba 86’). Coach: Helman Mkhalele.
Uganda: Watenga, Jjuko, Lwaliwa, Kizza, Willa, Waiswa, Lwanga (Byaruhanga 80’), Kagimu, Okello (Abdu 80’), Orit (Mugulusi 87’), Okwi (Mukwala 66’). Coach: Mubiru
