Compiled by Dylan Bettencourt
- Ronwen Williams became emotional after Bafana’s World Cup exit as he spoke about Hugo Broos and his impact.
- Williams says Broos brought belief back to Bafana and inspired both the team and the country during his five-year spell.
Ronwen Williams wants Hugo Broos to stay with Bafana Bafana.
The Bafana captain struggled to hide his emotions after South Africa were knocked out of the World Cup by Canada on Sunday night.
Williams stayed calm while speaking about the pain of the 1-0 defeat at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
But when the talk turned to Broos, who may have coached Bafana for the last time, Williams’s voice started to crack.
“I can stand here all night and speak about coach Hugo,” said Williams.
“The belief that he has instilled inside this team, since day one, is special. I don’t know what he saw in us. But, on a daily basis, when people didn’t believe in us, and our backs were against the wall, he was the one who was always supporting and believing in us.”
Williams said Broos has done more than improve Bafana’s results.
“What he has done for this team, words can’t describe it,” he said. “He has inspired not only a team, but a country too.”
Broos took over Bafana in 2021, when the team was struggling to qualify regularly for major tournaments.
Since then, he has led South Africa to third place at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and to the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time.
Williams said Broos also changed the way South Africans feel about Bafana.
“He has brought the country together,” said Williams.
“When you see now the support that Bafana is getting, it’s all down to the belief and what he has brought into this team. He is like a father figure to us, a friend, a brother and a super coach.”
Broos had earlier said the 2026 World Cup would be his last job in football, but he has since suggested he may think again.
Williams said if this was Broos’s final match, he can leave proudly.
“If this is his last match, he can bow out with his head held high because the boys competed, especially at the elite level,” he said. “I am just proud to have worked with coach Hugo.”
Williams said Bafana must now build on what they achieved at the World Cup.
He said the team created chances but scored only two goals, and must become more clinical at the highest level.
Williams also praised Bafana’s young players, including centrebacks Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Ime Okon.
“I am excited about the future of the country,” he said. “It shouldn’t take us years and years again to be a part of the World Cup. We need to keep going as a country and as a team.”
Pictured above: Bafana Bafana team.
Image source: @BafanaBafana
