Hugo Broos silent on tactical gamble after Bafana's AFCON exit | OneFootball

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Broos evasive about tactical shift against Cameroon

Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackPagePix

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has chosen not to reveal the reasoning behind his tactical switch in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Round of 16 showdown against Cameroon on Sunday.

The Belgian tactician went with a 3-4-3 setup, a formation popularised by ex-Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim, who was relieved of his duties on Monday morning.

Broos made a bold move by making four changes to his starting line-up, handing Nkosinathi Sibisi, Samukelo Kabini, Bathusi Aubaas and Relebohile Mofokeng their tournament debuts.

The Indomitable Lions capitalised, knocking South Africa out of the continental tournament with a 2-1 win—leaving Bafana fans bitterly disappointed.

Pressed about his decision to change the formation and make late substitutions despite being two goals down during the match, Broos refused to be drawn.

“First of all I will not give comment on that and secondly it's not strange that when players are replaced that sometimes they are not happy,” responded the experienced coach.

After securing the bronze medal in the previous edition in Ivory Coast, expectations for Bafana were sky-high, and the 73-year-old coach has promised a thorough post-tournament review.

“I think in the next days, weeks, it's time now to evaluate this AFCON, what we did also two years ago and see what was good and what was not good and try to make it better, we will see,” Broos added.

"I can make declarations now but you know when you lose a game like this and you're eliminated from the AFCON—you're frustrated, you're sad, you're disappointed and sometimes you say things that you regret afterwards.

"So, I will not do that but I agree that we have to evaluate our performances here in this AFCON and see what we can make of it.