Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has reflected on 2024, where his boys dazzled on the pitch with a mesmerizing display to claim the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) bronze medalists.

They were a joy to watch and managed to win so many hearts during their travels on the continent that it wasn’t out of place when even opposition supporter grudgingly nodded their approval and applauded the purring machine before their eyes in the last few months. The breathtaking performances have not gone unnoticed, and Broos’ charges have earned several nominations in the 2024 CAF Awards to be held in Marrakech, Morocco, on Monday, 16 December 2024. The Belgian coach said every single one of them is deserved.

“The only thing I can say is, it makes me proud because when you look back to what we did in the last two years and when you see the results, you can see everybody’s happy again,” he said.

“There is a positive environment and atmosphere around this team now. When I came here, there was nothing positive, nothing. So, we changed a lot. The coach of Morocco told me after we played against them in the AFCON, when we beat Morocco, he said, ‘you don’t play like South Africa anymore’. (The South Africans beat Morocco 2-0 at the Laurent Pokou stadium in San Pédro in Cote d’Ivoire on 30 January 2024). That was for me the nicest critique I have ever received from a colleague. This means we have changed something, and we had to change something.

“I think there have always been good players on the technical side. We have always had good player, and when I go and watch matches in the PSL, I see good players. They can control the ball, and they can give good passes. It is okay. But there was something missing. What did we miss? We missed power. We missed the direct game. This is what we tried to introduce in the team. It took a little bit of time before the players were aware of it.”

Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy-nominated South African men’s senior nation team captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams leads an impressive list of nominations that also include Broos himself, UWC’s Thinasonke Mbuli, Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies’ Andile Dlamini, the Bafana Bafana team, African champions Banyana Banyana and Mamelodi Sundowns.

Just months after winning the bronze medal at the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, Broos’ players qualified for next year’s continental tournament in Morocco, and they ended the qualifying campaign with an unbeaten record after beating South Sudan 3-0 in Cape Town last month. The Belgian said he can look back at the year with satisfaction after the way his team has performed.

“This is why I love this team so much. The players, they listen to what you are saying, and they try to do it. Sometimes it is better than other times. But when you see us playing now, it’s not tick, tick, tick anymore. No. At the right moments, the ball is going forward. It was the same against South Sudan,” the Bafana Bafana coach continued.

“Many times, we tried to find the space behind the defense, and we have the players for it. We have good players. So, we have changed our way of playing a little bit, and also the power in the team. They don’t push us aside anymore, like against Mali (in the AFCON).”

Full CAF Awards nominations list:

Men’s Player of the Year
Ronwen Williams (South Africa)
Simon Adingra (Cote d’Ivoire)
Serhou Guirassy (Guinea)
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)

Women’s Player of the Year
Sanâa Mssoudy (Morocco)
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria)
Barbra Banda (Zambia)

Men’s Coach of the Year
Hugo Broos (South Africa)
Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire)
Sébastien Desabre (DR Congo)

Women’s Coach of the Year
Thinasonke Mbuli (University of the Western Cape)
Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe)
Ahmed Ramadan (FC Masar)
Mohamed Amine Alioua (AS FAR)

Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Ronwen Williams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
André Onana (Cameroon / Manchester United)
Yahia Fofana (Cote d’Ivoire / Angers SCO)

Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year
Andile Dlamini (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Khadija Er-Rmichi (Morocco / AS FAR)
Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria / Paris FC)

Men’s Interclub Player of the Year
Ronwen Wlliams (South Africa / Mamelodi Sundowns)
Ahmed Sayed (Egypt / Zamalek)
Hussein El Shahat (Egypt / Al Ahly)

Women’s Interclub Player of the Year
Sanaâ Mssoudy (Morocco / AS FAR)
Lacho Flora Marta (Angola / TP Mazembe)
Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)

Men’s Young Player of the Year
Lamine Camara (Senegal / AS Monaco)
Karim Konaté (Cote d’Ivoire / Salzburg)
Oumar Diakite (Cote d’Ivoire / Reims)

Women’s Young Player of the Year
Habiba Sabry (Egypt / FC Masar)
Doha El Madani (Morocco / AS FAR)
Chiamaka Okuchukwu (Nigeria / Rivers Angels)

Men’s National Team of the Year
Bafana Bafana
Cote d’Ivoire
Nigeria

Women’s National Team of the Year
Banyana Banyana
Morocco
Nigeria

Men’s Club of the Year
Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Al Ahly (Egypt)
Zamalek (Egypt)

Women’s Club of the Year
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
AS FAR (Morocco)
Edo Queens (Nigeria)