South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has made it clear that sentiment will play no role when Bafana Bafana face Cameroon in the last 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.
The Belgian tactician is set to come up against the Indomitable Lions, a team he guided to AFCON glory in Gabon in 2017, when the two sides meet at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat.
Despite his history with Cameroon, Broos insists his sole focus is victory for South Africa.
“Tomorrow’s game is surely a special game for me. If you win an AFCON with a country, then 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 the game,” he said.
Broos acknowledged Cameroon’s strength, describing them as a “very good team” with a strong mentality, adding that South Africa must perform at their highest level to progress.
Cameroon finished the group stage with seven points despite off-field turmoil that saw coach Marc Brys replaced shortly before the tournament. Broos admitted he was impressed by how the team has adapted.
“I would have preferred to face Cameroon in the final – maybe now is a little too soon,” he said.
He concluded emphatically: “No mercy tomorrow! You can be sure. I have to win that game; that is all that counts.”
The winner will face Morocco in the quarter-finals if the hosts overcome Tanzania.
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