Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has slammed the Confederation of African Football for allowing a group with just three teams and also Morocco to have their away game against Liberia in Morocco.
The Belgian tactician and his side face Liberia in a double header this month and two wins would secure his side qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ahead of the matches on 24 and 28 March, Broos has widely spread his confidence in the current crop of players after selecting what many believe is the strongest 23-man squad since he started his reign in May 2021.
However, on Thursday, Broos came out guns blazing and criticised CAF for the three-team group, with Zimbabwe still being suspended from international football by FIFA, while questioning how Morocco were allowed to host their away game against Liberia in Casablanca.
“The fact that we are from the beginning only with three teams is rubbish,” he said during Thursday’s press conference.
“It’s not a normal qualification and you see what happened. Morocco is almost qualified after two games and they can play their away game in Morocco.
“This is all possible here in Africa. This is unbelievable.
“Ok, when Liberia doesn’t have a stadium conform with FIFA rules, then you play in another country but not with Morocco who is with you in the group.
“CAF said ‘ok, no problem’. They are already qualified after two games… This is not normal.”
But despite his little outburst, Broos knows that his side have qualification in their own hands, and a win at Orlando Stadium on Friday would be the perfect start.
“I knew from the beginning that maybe those two games against Liberia will be decisive to be qualified or not,” he added.
“We have the opportunity to do it in two games. Why shouldn’t we do it? I know it’s easier to tell that than to do it but I believe in this team.
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“I see the qualities I didn’t see one year ago. So we are a better team now but ok we have to play the game. If we have the level that we can reach, then we have to qualify – I’m sure of it.
“But it depends on us, it depends on our performance tomorrow and certainly also next week in Monrovia. It will be special, on a synthetic pitch, a fully-packed stadium.
“But try to win tomorrow then you already made a big steps forward, a big step to qualification.”
