While no one had expected anything other than a France win, it was the manner in which the World Cup champions tore Bafana Bafana apart on Tuesday night, which was alarming.
Bafana barely mustered a single effort on goal, and even in their 0-0 draw with a Guinea side fielding a handful of debutants a few days earlier, South Africa were lacking the cutting edge they are going to need to climb back towards being one of the top sides in Africa and one that can qualify for major tournaments again.
It’s of course not Broos’ fault, and Bafana have been on freefall for a while. But the Belgian signed a long-term (five-year) contract and needs to find a way to at least get the ship steered back in the right direction.
Lack of structure and a real long-term plan
When Broos came in, within days, he was talking about ushering in a more youthful Bafana setup.
In a way, that gave him a free hit, it bought him some time, and when South Africa failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, he could legitimately say that it was always going to be tough with the youngsters, that the young players would have learned and grown from the experience.
He made some similar comments after the France defeat, but at some point, there needs to be accountability.
The problem is that Broos has not been around long enough in South Africa to affect development further down the footballing ladder (the SA U17, U20 and U23 teams for example), as so, there was never any real formal structure in place for outing the old guard and bringing in the new.
It felt more like a hit and hope idea, which unfortunately has been exposed as the months have gone by and Bafana have not made any clear progress. SA are nowhere near to having a settled and clear starting XI.
There have also been inconsistencies – take Ethan Brookes for example – initially, he had been used a lot by Broos, but now the TS Galaxy man can barely get a game as the 32-year-old Thabang Monare has taken his place.
Yes, there have been flashes of brilliance and promise by the younger players here and there, but it feels rather like the backbone of the team is missing; that there are not enough senior characters in the team.
The kind of battle-hardened individuals who would have had the guts to try and hold onto the ball against France, rather than the largely panicked bunch of players we saw on Tuesday.
For starters, Mamelodi Sundowns duo Andile Jali and Themba Zwane are not past their sell-by dates, and have plenty to offer.
Even the 29-year-old Keagan Dolly, who came on in the second half against France, had initially been a reluctant pick by Broos, who had ignored the Kaizer Chiefs man for most of the World Cup qualifiers.
With someone like Percy Tau out injured, it becomes all the more imperative that the Bafana starting XI has a decent sprinkling of senior players.
Getting the balance right
It’s not that Broos’ idea of a youthful national team is bad. But at top senior international level, it’s also all about results, and Bafana’s continued failure to qualify for World Cups and for Africa Cup of Nations, is unacceptable for a nation that enjoys very good resources in their football.
Now, with the Afcon qualifiers on the horizon, Broos and his employers, Safa, have to find a way to get it right as football fans in this country grow ever more impatient and disillusioned.
