South Africa coach Hugo Broos has promised to show “no mercy” to Cameroon when he comes up against his former side in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 21:00 (SA time).
‘Special game’
Hugo Broos will lead Bafana Bafana out at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat against the nation he led to an unexpected AFCON triumph in Gabon in 2017.
“Tomorrow’s game is surely a special game for me. If you win an AFCON with a country then a part of them stays in your heart but tomorrow I can’t have mercy for them because I am the coach of South Africa now and I want to win the game,” Belgian Broos told reporters on Saturday in the Moroccan capital.
“They are a very good team, a young team, and they have a good fighting spirit and mentality which means if we want to beat them we will have to be at our best.”
Chaotic build-up
Cameroon took seven points from a possible nine in the group stage in Morocco despite a chaotic build-up to the tournament.
Coach Marc Brys was sacked by football federation president and Indomitable Lions legend Samuel Eto’o only a few weeks before their opening game, with David Pagou appointed as his replacement.
“I would have preferred to face Cameroon in the final – maybe now is a little too soon,” Hugo Broos said.
“I was curious to see Cameroon with all the changes in their team and I have been surprised. They did not have much preparation time but the coach has done a good job and for us it will be a difficult match.”
He added: “No mercy tomorrow! You can be sure. I have to win that game, that is all that counts.”
Training venue blow
Meanwhile the 73-year-old expressed anger at tournament organisers for forcing his side to train at the Moroccan national team’s facility, a 45-minute drive away from their hotel in Rabat.
Whoever wins on Sunday will face Morocco in the quarter-finals, should the hosts see off outsiders Tanzania in their last-16 tie.
“I don’t understand why CAF (the Confederation of African Football) allowed that. I have to say that because it makes me unhappy,” Hugo Broos complained.
Bafana Bafana, who have qualified for this year’s World Cup, are hoping to at least match their run to the semi-finals at the last Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast in 2024.
Depth of quality
But their coach admits that could be a tall order given the depth of quality left in the competition.
“It was the ambition when we came here, to do at least as well as two years ago, but I said this tournament would be much more difficult.
“At the last AFCON a lot of big teams were knocked out early, but this time they are all here, which means to get to the final, even the semi-finals, it will be much more difficult, but our ambition remains intact.”
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse