South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has vowed to show “no mercy” when Bafana Bafana face Cameroon in their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 round-of-16 clash on Sunday.
The encounter will see Broos come up against his former team at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat. The Belgian tactician famously led Cameroon to a surprise AFCON title in Gabon in 2017.
Speaking to reporters in Rabat on Saturday, Broos described the fixture as emotional but insisted his loyalty now lies firmly with South Africa.
“Tomorrow’s game is surely a special one for me. When you win an AFCON with a country, 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,” he said.
Broos acknowledged Cameroon’s strength, describing the Indomitable Lions as a talented and determined side.
“They are a very good team, a young team with a strong fighting spirit and mentality. If we want to beat them, we will have to be at our very best,” he added.
Cameroon secured seven points from a possible nine in the group stage despite a turbulent build-up to the tournament. Head coach Marc Brys was dismissed by Cameroon Football Federation president and former international Samuel Eto’o just weeks before the competition, with David Pagou appointed as his replacement.
“I would have preferred to face Cameroon in the final — maybe now is a little too soon,” Broos said. “I was curious to see how they would perform after all the changes, and I’ve been surprised. They had limited preparation time, but the coach has done a good job. It will be a very difficult match for us.”
Reiterating his determination, the 73-year-old added: “No mercy tomorrow. I have to win that game; that is all that matters.”
Training concerns
Broos also expressed frustration with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over logistical arrangements, criticising the decision to have his team train at the Moroccan national team’s facility, located about 45 minutes from their hotel in Rabat.
“I don’t understand why CAF allowed that. I have to say it because it makes me unhappy,” he said.
The winner of Sunday’s tie will face hosts Morocco in the quarter-finals, should they overcome Tanzania in their own last-16 match.
South Africa, who have already qualified for this year’s World Cup, are aiming to at least match their semi-final finish at the 2024 AFCON in Ivory Coast. However, Broos admitted the challenge may be tougher this time.
“Our ambition was to do at least as well as two years ago, but this tournament is much more difficult. At the last AFCON, many big teams were eliminated early. This time, they are all still here, which makes reaching the semi-finals or final much harder,” he said, while stressing that the team’s ambitions remain unchanged.
