Pressure at major tournaments like the AFCON is usually a make or break for coaches, as Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos mulls over his future.
Bafana failed to qualify for the previous Africa Cup of Nations edition after a 2-0 defeat to Sudan in the final qualifier in March 2021.
Broos replaced Molefi Ntseki and initially had many detractors, as he rebuilt the team with new players but earned praise for getting results and admitting to some bad decisions like initially omitting players like Themba Zwane due to his age, who has become one of the most important members of the squad after he was recalled.
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In spite of a good qualifying campaign, where Bafana notably beat Morocco in a three-team group, the Belgian has drawn some criticism in his selection for the 23-man AFCON squad and is aware that should Bafana bow out in the group stages at the tournament in Ivory Coast, his job will be on the line.
The former Cameroon coach, who is 71 years of age, says that he does not worry much about losing his job anymore, as he is considering retirement if Bafana get knocked out in the first round.
"If we do not survive the group stage, I will at minimum end up in a storm of criticism," he told Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws, as per MTNFC.
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"And then I'm curious whether the football association will resist that pressure (to fire him). But honestly? It doesn't concern me too much anymore. I am almost at the end of my career. I know that, I feel that.
"I let my assistant do the field training, I look after mandatory duties such as press conferences. I used to always do those things with a smile, but now... You know, this could well be my last job. That's actually how it is in my head," he added.
Bafana will open their group campaign against Mali on Tuesday evening.
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