Jordaan says Broos to continue as Bafana Bafana coach
South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan has lauded Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos for standing his ground and getting the best out of the players.
Broos coached the team to their best performance at an African Cup of Nations tournament in 24 years.
Bafana Bafana finished third at the AFCON in the Ivory Coast.
Jordaan spoke at a press conference at O.R Tambo International Airport where South Africans came out in their numbers to welcome the players home.
He said the team that played at AFCON was Broos' creation and a team the coach believed could win the tournament.
Jordaan announced that Broos would continue at the helm of the national team.
"I want to thank the coach. We started a long journey, and we had many fights with the coach. He doesn't run away from the fights. He runs towards it.
“He had very strong views, and he was not afraid to express them. In the end, we could see the team shaping, and the team that played was his creation.
“So I want to thank him for not stepping back, being relentless in pursuit of building a team that he thought would win the AFCON," says Jordaan.
He said Broos had already managed to guide Cameroon to their fifth AFCON title in 2017, a feat SAFA hoped he could repeat with Bafana.
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"We came very, very close.
"I want to say we are very appreciative of his efforts, the energy that he puts in, many weeks that he had to stay in our country. We appreciate that he made the effort to be here.
“So, coach, thank you very much for all of your efforts, but our journey is going to continue. There is still another mission ahead of us, and we must complete the task. Our journey will continue coach," says Jordaan.
At the same time, Broos also spoke of his admiration for the players.
“We played good games, we saw that more and more, we got more support from the country
“I’m very proud of this team. I said it already a few days ago, this is a fantastic team, and it’s not only 23 football players, it’s 23- friends. The way they treat each other, the way they act with each other on the pitch," said Broos.
Broos also praised the work done by his coaching team.
" ...You know, when you achieve something like this now, third place, people are talking about the coach, people are talking about the players, but nobody talks about all those other people who worked day and night nearly for four to five weeks.
"I’m talking about the medical staff. Those people were working until 1 o’clock in the morning to get the players in good shape again, to give massages, to give treatment. They were always there for the players.
“Without them, we wouldn’t [have] achieved our success. Even the kit manager, the security manager and you, Romy [Titus, Bafana Media Officer], were part of what we did. Without you, we wouldn’t have done it,” said Broos.
