Hugo Broos
* If you win an AfCON with the country, there’s always a little place in your heart that stays for the rest of your life — and that’s the case also with Cameroon and me
* It will always be there, but I can’t have mercy — I want to win the game tomorrow because I’m coach of South Africa now
Maravi Express
Tonight’s Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations AfCON Morocco 2025 between South Africa and Cameroon at Stade Al Medina, Rabat (21h00) carries added significance for Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos as he previously led Cameroon to their 5th AfCON title in 2017.
Advertisement
The Belgian was in charge of the Indomitable Lions when the teams met during qualification for the 2017 tournament, with both matches ending in 2-2 draws.
Broos, who will also be joined on the touchline by assistant coach Helman Mkhalele, who featured as a substitute in South Africa’s iconic 1996 AfCON opening match against Cameroon, told the media ahead of the match that winning an AfCON with any country, “there’s always a little place in your heart that stays for the rest of your life”.
“And that’s the case also with Cameroon and me — it will always be there, but I can’t have mercy; I want to win the game tomorrow because I’m coach of South Africa now.
“But it’s a special game, I have to say that. That doesn’t mean that we are not going to fight,” said the coach while his player, Teboho Mokoena said: “The talk in the camp is that we need to do better than we did in the last AfCON. So we know it will be a tough game against Cameroon but we are of course looking forward to the game.”
Cameroon coach David Pagou said: “What we want to instil in our players is the need to stay focused and play to their full potential, relying on our own qualities. We are facing a very strong South African team that we know very well.
“They have truly reached a high level of collective play, having been together for a long time. In my opinion, they are the most cohesive team in this competition — it will be a very difficult match, but as I told my players, it is a point of pride just to be here.”
South Africa and Cameroon are meeting at the AfCON for only the second time as despite their long-standing presence on the continental stage, the two sides have crossed paths sparingly at Africa’s premier tournament.
Their only previous AfCON meeting dates back to the opening match of the 1996 edition, when hosts South Africa claimed a memorable 3-0 victory over Cameroon at Soccer City – launching Bafana Bafana’s historic run to their maiden continental title.
January 13, 1996: South Africa’s Eric Tinkler (right) challenges the Cameroon attackers during the AfCON 1996 at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg
Across all competitions, South Africa and Cameroon have met nine times. Bafana Bafana hold a slight historical advantage with three victories, while Cameroon have won once, with five encounters ending in draws.
Cameroon’s only success against South Africa came in a 2-1 friendly win in July 1992, and the Indomitable Lions have not beaten Bafana Bafana in the seven matches played since then (W2 D5). South Africa have also recorded three clean sheets in this fixture, compared to one for Cameroon.
While emotions may run high, both teams arrive in Rabat determined to impose themselves in what promises to be a tightly contested knockout fixture.
New
South Africa come into the tie seeking to build on recent progress at the AfCON and to surpass their previous tournament performance, while Cameroon, five-time champions, continue their journey with a squad described by their technical staff as being under construction but moving in the right direction.
With the last three meetings between the sides all ending in draws, including both matches in 2017 AfCON qualification and a friendly in January 2015, fine margins are expected to once again define the outcome in Rabat.—Reporting by CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express
Advertisement