South Africa Coach Reveals What Jose Peseiro Told Him After 2023 AFCON

The head coach of South Africa, Hugo Broos has claimed he and the head coach of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, Jose Peseiro, had a conversation after the 2023 AFCON final on Sunday, February 11.

Recall that the South Africa coach and the Super Eagles coach met in the semi-final stage of the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast.

Both coaches played different tactics – coach Peseiro played defensive football, while Coach Broos depended on long balls from his half to the Eagles’ defensive line.

Broos’ style caused a lot of problems for the Super Eagles as the Nigerian defense found it so difficult to deal with the attacks from Bafana Bafana.

At the end of the regulation time, the scoreline ended 1-1, and the game was decided via penalties, which the Super Eagles won.

In the final of the tournament, coach Jose Peseiro and his boys played defensive football again against the hosts, Ivory Coast, but this time around, the Ivorian were able to break the tactics with ease as they beat Nigeria 2-1 to win the title.

After the match, Hugo Broos claimed that Jose Peseiro confessed to him that South Africa gave the Super Eagles a tougher match than the Ivorians.

“Certainly, against Nigeria, they (Bafana Bafana) didn’t know what to do. They were surprised and I saw the coach (Peseiro) on Sunday after the final and he came to me and said, ‘You did it very well against us, you were more a threat than Ivory Coast, it was for us a surprise the way you played,” Broos told Marawa Sports Worldwide.

He added, “So, this is what I want with them and when you can do that because this is a team with great potential and let’s hope that we can succeed every time playing like this”.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa will meet on June 3, 2024, for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The two countries have played two games each in the World Cup, in which Nigeria recorded two draws while South Africa recorded a win and a defeat.

When asked if South Africa can qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Broos said, “Yes, and maybe not sure as yet, but I believe we have a very big chance to be at the World Cup in 2026, we can make it”.