By Neilley Claude EBESSA,
journalist kick442.com – Cameroon
Tomorrow’s Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 showdown between Cameroon and South Africa carries an extra layer of drama, as Belgian coach Hugo Broos faces the Indomitable Lions—the team he once led to glory. Broos, who guided Cameroon to the 2017 AFCON title before being sacked a year later, admits the match is “special” for him, but insists his loyalty now lies with South Africa:
If you win an AFCON with a country, then a part of them stays in your heart, but tomorrow I can’t have mercy for them because I am the coach of South Africa now and I want to win the game,” he told reporters in the Moroccan capital.
Broos praised Cameroon’s qualities, describing them as a “very good team, a young team, and they have a good fighting spirit and mentality,” but warned that South Africa will need to be at their absolute best to compete:
Which means if we want to beat them, we will have to be at our best,” he said.
The 73-year-old coach also reflected on the timing of the clash, joking that he would have preferred to face Cameroon in a final rather than in the Round of 16:
I was curious to see Cameroon with all the changes in their team, and I have been surprised. They did not have much preparation time, but the coach has done a good job, and for us it will be a difficult match.”
Broos was clear about his mentality going into the game:
No mercy tomorrow! You can be sure. I have to win that game, that is all that counts.”
Cameroon enter the knockout stage as favorites, boasting experience, tactical discipline, and a physically strong squad. South Africa, meanwhile, are determined to pull off an upset, led by a coach intimately familiar with their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
Tomorrow’s clash promises intensity, drama, and a personal narrative that adds extra spice: a coach returning to face the nation he once brought continental glory, now committed to ending their AFCON run.
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