Broos asks to be spared criticism if Morocco beat SA

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has appealed not to be criticised should his side lose to Morocco in their final match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier next week.

Bafana will host Morocco on June 17 at FNB Stadium, with both teams having already qualified for the tournament to be hosted in Ivory Coast from January to February next year.

The outspoken coach said he was not happy when he was criticised after Bafana were thumped 5-0 by France in the international friendly last year, saying his side cannot be compared to Morocco or any other big nation.

“You must understand that if you play against teams like Morocco and France, you are the weakest team. Don’t dream that at this moment you have players as good as they are,” Broos explained to the media yesterday after he named the final squad for the match.

“The reality is that they are a much better team than we are at the moment. So don’t ask for miracles, even when you lose 3-0 or 4-0, even if there is a good part of that.

“And the good part of the defeat to France was that we started thinking about what we have to do to have a better team. On the other side, it is a good test for us to see where we are.

“But again, I was furious after France about the criticism we received, especially when I saw who did that, then I asked myself, do you know what this is all about in football?

“So again, now we are in front of a very difficult game against a very good opponent. Just look at the performances of our players and see how good we are or bad we are.”

Broos will use this match to prepare for the Afcon next year and feels Bafana are now better compared to when they played Morocco in June last year, where they lost 2-1.

“That’s why we used those games. Okay, we have to play that game. We didn’t choose it. But for me, it will be an interesting game and I won’t be angry if we lose,” he said.

“I will be very happy if we draw, I can’t explain how I will feel if we win.”