German coach hits back at Hugo Broos 'Europe is not the cause of improvement' after Bafana Bafana coach blamed PSL level for AFCON elimination

Since he was appointed, Hugo Broos' Bafana Bafana squads have been dominated by players from the Premier Soccer League.

When he named his squad for the AFCON finals, the same trend continued, and the majority of the players came from Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.

However, South Africa were eliminated by Cameroon in the first round of the knockout stage, and when questioned, Broos said their opponents enjoyed the experience from stars that play in more competitive leagues.

“There are teams at the Cup of Nations with players who play in Europe. We mostly don’t have them, and that is a disadvantage for South Africa,” Broos said.

“Cameroon is a brand-new team, and when you see where those players are playing, there’s a guy, the striker Christian Kofane, who’s playing for Bayer Leverkusen. He’s 19 years old. 

“So this is the opportunity our players need to have because they have to be challenged more," the 73-year-old added.

 "I said from the beginning that the level of the PSL compared with the level we had in the last weeks is very different, and you can only close that gap when you have players who are also playing in very difficult competitions. 

“So let’s hope that players in the future have more opportunities to go to Europe and play in those very difficult competitions and face those challenges, because that should help this team enormously. 

“It’s not because you play once against Argentina or once against Ghana that suddenly your level will go up. No, this is something else. But yeah, what can we do? We just hope they get the opportunity and make the step," Broos concluded.

However, former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Ernst Middendorp has contradicted Broos' explanation and stated what must be done to make the players become better stars.

"Football development is environmental, not geographical. Europe is not the cause of improvement; it is just the place where standards are enforced daily, excuses are removed, and responsibility is unavoidable," Middendorp said on his LinkedIn account. 

"If those same principles are applied consistently in South Africa, players will improve without leaving the country. And when they do go abroad, they will succeed more often, because the foundation was already strong.

"Improvement happens at home when the environment is right. South African players do improve locally when coaching is demanding, consistent, and detail-driven," he added.

"Training intensity matches real match demands, selection is based on performance, not reputation, players are held accountable for off-ball behaviour, and winning habits are built through structure, not speeches.

"A strong local environment with clarity and pressure will develop players. The problem is not South African talent. The problem is the 'uneven football culture'."

Since South Africa were eliminated, there have been calls to sack Broos, and former Chiefs star Junior Khanye was categorical that if he stays, Bafana will struggle in the World Cup.

"We are preparing for the World Cup; we just have to make peace because the coach said he will step down after the tournament," Khanye said.

"We are going to America, but let me tell you, I will be honest, we are not going to come out of the group stage; you can write this down, we must be realistic. The World Cup is very dangerous; those guys are skillful. They are not Africans; they are dangerous.  

"We failed at AFCON. What do you think we can do at the World Cup if we failed to reach the last eight at the AFCON? We are talking about teams that are well structured there," he added.

"But I will be honest, Hugo Broos is lucky. We failed; he has failed at the AFCON. He was supposed to be sacked after this.

"I know he qualified us for the World Cup and the AFCON, but football is not an event; it is a project. You invest. After the World Cup, we need to clean all this."

However, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie dismissed such calls, stating that Broos has developed Bafana and made them a competitive outfit.

“Go back a few years; Hugo Broos truly woke up Bafana Bafana. I hear people are saying, ‘Now it’s time for Hugo Broos to go … To go where? Hugo Broos is going nowhere. Hugo Broos is going to Mexico [to the FIFA World Cup]; that is where he is going. This mentality of constantly changing coaches is unacceptable," the government official said.  

"The national team is not a joke. Hugo Broos has come in and put in a solid structure in our national team. Furthermore, how do you blame the coach if players don’t score?” McKenzie added.

Although he is regarded for developing Bafana, helping them to qualify for back-to-back AFCON finals and the World Cup, the Belgian's reputation could be damaged if South Africa underperforms in the finals set to be co-hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

The former Cameroon head coach has also found himself on the receiving end of criticism because of his controversial comments.