South Africa’s Coach Promises ‘No Mercy’ in Clash with Cameroon

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has vowed to show no mercy when Bafana Bafana face Cameroon in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) last-16 clash on Sunday.

The Belgian tactician will face his former side at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat, the team he guided to a surprise AFCON title in Gabon in 2017.

Speaking to reporters in the Moroccan capital on Saturday, Broos described the encounter as an emotional one but stressed that sentiment would have no place on the pitch.

He said that while Cameroon would always hold a special place in his heart after their 2017 triumph, his sole focus now was leading South Africa to victory.

“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.”

Broos acknowledged Cameroon’s quality, describing the Indomitable Lions as a strong and youthful side with an impressive fighting spirit, and warned that his team would need to perform at its best to progress.

Cameroon finished the group stage with seven points from a possible nine despite a turbulent build-up to the tournament. 

Head coach Marc Brys was dismissed by Cameroon Football Federation president and former star Samuel Eto’o just weeks before the competition began, with David Pagou taking over.

Broos said he would have preferred to meet Cameroon later in the tournament but admitted he had been impressed by how the team had adapted to the changes. 

He noted that despite limited preparation time, the new coaching setup had done a commendable job, making Sunday’s fixture a difficult test for South Africa.

He added, “No mercy tomorrow! You can be sure. I have to win that game; that is all that counts.”

The 73-year-old coach also criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for logistical arrangements that required his team to train at the Moroccan national team’s facility, located about 45 minutes from their hotel in Rabat.

He said the situation was frustrating and questioned why CAF had allowed it.

The winner of Sunday’s tie will face hosts Morocco in the quarter-finals, provided the Atlas Lions overcome Tanzania in their own last-16 encounter.

Bafana Bafana, who have already secured qualification for this year’s World Cup, are aiming to at least match their semi-final finish at the 2024 AFCON in the Ivory Coast. 

However, Broos admitted that achieving that goal would be more challenging this time due to the strength of teams still left in the competition.

He explained that while South Africa arrived at the tournament with the ambition of equalling their previous success, the current edition was far more competitive, with all the major teams still in contention.

Nonetheless, he insisted that the team’s ambitions remained unchanged.