Mahlangu Tears Tso Apart On Broos Sacking
Kaizer Chiefs legend Jabu Mahlangu has come out strongly in defence of Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos following calls for his dismissal after South Africa’s elimination from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco on Sunday.
Broos has faced mounting criticism after Bafana Bafana were knocked out in the round of 16 by Cameroon, with former internationals and podcast analysts Benedict “Tso” Vilakazi and Junior Khanye among those questioning the Belgian coach’s tactical approach and overall performance at the tournament.
However, Mahlangu, a former Bafana Bafana attacker and a member of the squad that featured at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, has dismissed those calls, insisting that Broos has made a significant and positive impact on South African football.
“I hear that Tso Vilakazi says coach Broos must be fired,” said Mahlangu.
“It’s still early in the year. And I think Tso is still in December. He is a coach, and he has badges, but he is not coaching at all. Why is he not coaching so that we can see? He is so reckless with the way he speaks, and I think the current players will not respect him. Broos has done so much for Bafana, and sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.
“I need to address something with your show that just criticises and only focuses on negative things. You do not have facts, and now you say Broos must be fired, after he built the team. Now we have a pool of players, a database that we did not have before this guy.”
Mahlangu further argued that it would be impractical to fire a coach with only five months left before the FIFA World Cup, noting the difficulties the new coach would face in such a short period.
“Why would you fire a coach with only five months before the World Cup? What’s the new coach going to do in that short space of time?” he asked.
“It has been a long time since we lost because of this guy. Our dignity is back. The stadiums were empty before Hugo Broos, but the support is back, and the stadiums are full, even though it’s not a full house. However, the support is back, and it’s nice at the stadiums. You guys need to respect our coach; you don’t respect our head coach.
“You have badges, but you are busy bashing other coaches. And you are not even coaching in the first division or lower leagues. I am defending South Africa and our head coach because we cannot ignore his record and his work. We now have a team and direction in our country,” Mahlangu added.
