[WATCH] Showered with love: Bafana Bafana appreciated at OR Tambo arrival
A sea of red welcomed Bafana Bafana at OR Tambo on Valentine’s Day yesterday to give Hugo Broos and his players some love after their heroics at the African Cup of Nations.
South Africa beat the odds to finish third in Ivory Coast after beating Congo 6-5 on penalties.
A huge crowd largely made up of EFF fans gathered early on Wednesday morning to greet their heroes as they set foot in Mzansi.
Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa was among those present and had many thanks for the coach and his team, saying: “I want to once more thank you coach for bringing this moment of hope to the country. We have not had this moment with Bafana Bafana for the longest time.
“You have brought us hope. You have brought us a game-changer in football...”
Safa president Danny Jordaan adds: “I want again to thank the coach. We started a long journey, we had many fights with the coach and he is not going to run away from a fight. He runs towards a fight. “And you know that he has very strong views and is not afraid to express it. In the end, you could see the team shaping up and the team that played was his creation. I want to thank him for not stepping back, being relentless in pursuit of building the team that he thought would win the Afcon.”
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos on arrival at OR Tambo this morning following the team’s bronze medal finish. He also mentioned his backroom staff as the unsung heroes of their AFCON campaign.
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) February 14, 2024
📹 #SABCSport's @superjourno #SABCSportFootball #AFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/roO1o1NBEv
Broos, meanwhile, says: “So, this is the work of a whole team, a whole team that I asked for…”
Captain Ronwen Williams, who alongside Teboho Mokoena were included in the Team of the Tournament, adds: “We’re still living in the moment. It still feels unreal, what we’ve achieved over the last few weeks…
🤝 𝔹ℝ𝕆![CDATA[]]>𝕋ℍ𝔼ℝℍ𝕆![CDATA[]]>𝕆![CDATA[]]>𝔻 🤝
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) February 14, 2024
🗣️ "𝐖![CDATA[]]>𝐞 𝐰![CDATA[]]>𝐞![CDATA[]]>𝐫![CDATA[]]>𝐞 𝐮![CDATA[]]>𝐧![CDATA[]]>𝐢![CDATA[]]>𝐭![CDATA[]]>𝐞![CDATA[]]>𝐝"
Bafana Bafana captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams says unity is one of the reasons they were successful at the #AFCON2023 tournament. #SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/8iCCAZexmV
“I’m just proud of the boys for the brotherhood, the brotherhood we had from day one...”
🗣️ "𝘐 𝘢![CDATA[]]>𝘮 𝘷![CDATA[]]>𝘦![CDATA[]]>𝘳![CDATA[]]>𝘺, 𝘷![CDATA[]]>𝘦![CDATA[]]>𝘳![CDATA[]]>𝘺 𝘱![CDATA[]]>𝘳![CDATA[]]>𝘰![CDATA[]]>𝘶![CDATA[]]>𝘥 𝘰![CDATA[]]>𝘧 𝘵![CDATA[]]>𝘩![CDATA[]]>𝘪![CDATA[]]>𝘴 𝘵![CDATA[]]>𝘦![CDATA[]]>𝘢![CDATA[]]>𝘮"
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) February 14, 2024
Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos reflecting on their #AFCON2023 performance! #SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/DyIER0FJED
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