Broos disappointed at SA supporter turnout

Bafana Bafana head coach, Hugo Broos, wants to see more South Africans show support for the senior national team.

Bafana beat the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0 in their friendly at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday, thanks to a Lyle Foster strike in the 25th minute.

However, one of the biggest talking points from the match was in the stands.

South African supporters were clearly outnumbered in the stands by those of the DRC, making it look like the national team was playing in the DRC.

It was for the second time in a matter of days, where the turnout for a Bafana game was embarrassing.  The other instance was when they played a goalless friendly against neighbours, Namibia.

Hugo Broos on DRC fans outnumbering Bafana fans at Orlando Stadium. 🇿🇦🏟️@BafanaBafana | @iDiskiTimes pic.twitter.com/jqzB1O62k6

— Lorenz Köhler (@Lorenz_KO) September 12, 2023

“It is disappointing. You could see there were more DRC supporters than for us and I hope in future we will have more support,” the coach said.

“You saw what having the backing of your supporters can do. DR Congo grew in the game because they were supported by their fans. We had some difficult moments and, in that situation, you need your supporters to back you. I hope in the future we have better crowds than in these games against Namibia and DR Congo.”

Despite the poor attendance, the coach was satisfied with what he saw on the pitch.

“I am very happy with what I saw, but that doesn’t mean everything was good. The game against Namibia was to see new players who don’t play much for the national team and the game against DR Congo was also looking for solutions.

“I am happy after this camp, not because of performances, not because of results but just because what I saw was for me very important.

“Even if we lost the two games, it was going to be a learning curve for me because I could have seen some of the players and this is what this camp was for.

“The next camp in October will be different and I hope we don’t have so many injuries and we go more and more to the core of players who will play the World Cup qualifiers and maybe Afcon in January.”