“Mozambique are a team that wants to play football because they have the players to play football, so that means it will be a little bit more comfortable for us than having to play against a team that has 10 players behind the ball and just waiting to play in transition. That’s what happened against Tanzania. It was tough against Tanzania, and it will also be tough tomorrow in a different way.”
Broos hopes tonight’s game against the Mambas will attract a better crowd than last Friday’s one against the Taifa Stars, where just over 10,000 tickets were sold. Broos had expected a decent crowd against Tanzania, though he says he understands these are just low-profile friendlies, not World Cup qualifiers, where Bafana have made it a habit to sell out stadiums.
Broos confident of Bafana’s chances against Mozambique
Coach hopes for more supporters to motivate national team
Bafana Bafana mentor Hugo Broos views Mozambique as a ball-playing team, saying he thinks that will work in Bafana’s favour when the two nations lock horns in a friendly at Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight at 7.30pm.
“They [Mozambique] have two or three players who can decide any game. Mozambique are a different team than Tanzania [who frustrated Bafana to a goalless draw in the first friendly of the current camp at the same venue last Friday],” Broos told a press conference at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane yesterday.
“Mozambique are a team that wants to play football because they have the players to play football, so that means it will be a little bit more comfortable for us than having to play against a team that has 10 players behind the ball and just waiting to play in transition. That’s what happened against Tanzania. It was tough against Tanzania, and it will also be tough tomorrow in a different way.”
Broos hopes tonight’s game against the Mambas will attract a better crowd than last Friday’s one against the Taifa Stars, where just over 10,000 tickets were sold. Broos had expected a decent crowd against Tanzania, though he says he understands these are just low-profile friendlies, not World Cup qualifiers, where Bafana have made it a habit to sell out stadiums.
“It wasn’t what I expected last Friday [as far as the crowd was concerned], but OK, there was a [good] atmosphere still. You always want what we saw in the past with the World Cup qualifiers, where Bafana played in full-house stadiums. But I can understand that these are friendly games against Tanzania and Mozambique, so people aren’t really ready to come and watch these games,” he said.
“I hope there’ll be a little bit more supporters [tonight] because even in friendly games, for the players, it’s easier to be motivated when a bunch of people are behind you.”
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