SA IS MY LAST RIDE

HUGO Broos, the longest-serving coach in Bafana Bafana history, has confirmed that he will retire from coaching after the 2026 World Cup - one year before his contract with the South African national team is set to expire.

Broos, who took charge of Bafana in May 2021, recently marked a major milestone by surpassing the late Clive Barker as the team's longest-serving coach on 5 May. Under his leadership, Ronwen Williams’ manne finished third at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast and are on the brink of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Speaking to the media in Polokwane, the 73-year-old Belgian confirmed that the 2026 tournament will be his final assignment.

Broos wyses: “The decision is made. After the World Cup, I will stop. My contract will be finished, but I will stop as a coach. I have been coaching for nearly 40 years, and I’m 73. There has to be a time to stop. I won’t die on the bench.”

Reflecting on a career that began at age 19 as a professional player and later transitioned into management, Broos said he looks forward to a quieter life. “I think when I stop next year, I can be at home with my wife and drink coffee.”

While Broos plans to step away from day-to-day coaching, he hasn’t ruled out staying involved in football in a less demanding capacity.

“Football will always be there. But you never know. Maybe I can be an advisor for South Africa or another team or whatever. But I don’t want to work every day anymore. That’s for sure.

“So it looks attractive to me [advisor role] certainly. But we will see next year. It’s still one year. First of all, I will focus on September and October, then on December, the Afcon. That’s the only thing I want now, and then we will see afterwards.”