Hugo Broos head coach of South Africa during the Bafana Bafana Press Conference on the11 September 2023 at Orlando Stadium © Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
“It could have been worse!” That was Hugo Broos’ reaction to the Africa Cup of Nations draw on Thursday night, which saw Bafana Bafana being placed in Group E that includes Tunisia, Mali and Namibia.
The silver-haired former winner of the biennial continental soccer showpiece was right.
The draw conducted in the heart of Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, where the opening and final matches of next year’s edition will be played, was kind to the 1996 champions.
Of course, there’s no such thing as an easy draw at this level of competition, but seeded third, Bafana could have been pitted with some tough teams – and in our preview, we contended that Morocco and Nigeria were to be avoided at all costs.
Broos was relieved to have avoided those, as well as the holders and the host nation.
“I am not really unhappy, when you see the teams that were represented. Mali are a very good team, and Tunisia too. And Namibia we know. But I prefer to have Tunisia than Senegal or Ivory Coast.”
The top two teams from the six groups qualify for the knockout stages, where they will be joined by the four best third-placed finishers.
It looks like an achievable feat for Bafana, who are returning to the tournament, having missed out on the previous edition played in Cameroon.
“I think we can achieve our best level and go out of the group stages. When you are in pot three (Bafana were seeded third), you don’t have to hope much. You are always going to get two big teams,” explained the Belgian, who led Cameroon to continental glory in 2017.
“Now Tunisia it is a big team, but less than Morocco or Senegal or the hosts, Ivory Coast. Mali is not really, really a big, top team.
“But there are two good teams (in our group), tough teams, and to be a direct qualifier, you have to beat them both. So, we will see. I am rather happy with the draw... it could have been worse.”
Bafana have previously faced all three nations at the finals and had mixed results against Tunisia, whom they beat 2-0 when they won the 1996 title – only for the Carthage Eagles to exact revenge 10 years later via the same score on a rainy night in Alexandria.
Mali knocked Bafana out in the quarter-finals of the 2002 tournament they hosted courtesy of a 2-0 win in Segou, and the two teams met again at the 2013 event hosted by South Africa, and the Eagles won 3-1 via a shoot-out from the penalty spot following a 1-1 draw.
The discerning Bafana fans will remember only too well how Benni McCarthy scored four goals in seeing off Namibia in a group game during the 1998 edition hosted by Burkina Faso.
Bafana Afcon Fixtures
January 16: Mali. January 21: Namibia. January 24: Tunisia.
Afcon Draw
Group A: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau
Group B: Egypt, Ghana, Cape Verde Islands, Mozambique
Group C: Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Gambia
Group D: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Angola
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, South Africa, Namibia
Group F: Morocco, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania