South Africa's Coach Vows No Mercy for Cameroon in AFCON 2025

Hugo Broos Prepares for a Crucial Match

South Africa's coach, Hugo Broos, has pledged to show no "mercy" towards Cameroon in the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), set to take place this Sunday. Broos, who guided Cameroon to the AFCON title in 2017, will lead his team, Bafana Bafana, at the Al Medina Stadium in Rabat against the nation that brought him success in Gabon.

"Tomorrow's match is certainly special for me. If you win an AFCON with a country, part of that country stays in your heart, but this time I cannot have mercy on them because I am the coach of South Africa and I want to win," Broos told reporters on Saturday in the Moroccan capital.

Cameroon has accrued seven points from nine possible in the group stage, despite facing challenges in their preparations, including the dismissal of coach Marc Brys just before the tournament commenced.

"I would have preferred to meet Cameroon in the final – maybe it’s a bit too early now," Broos added. "I am curious to see Cameroon with all the changes in the team, and I was surprised. They did not have much time to prepare, but the coach did a good job, and it will be a difficult match for us."

Broos also stated, "No mercy tomorrow! You can be sure of that. I need to win that match; that is all that matters."

Furthermore, the 73-year-old expressed dissatisfaction with the tournament organizers, who forced the team to train at the national training base, located 45 minutes from their hotel in Rabat.

The winner on Sunday will face Morocco in the quarter-finals, provided the hosts eliminate their opponents from Tanzania in their knockout match.

"I don’t understand why CAF [Confederation of African Football] allowed this. I have to say this because it makes me unhappy," Broos complained. Bafana Bafana, who qualified for this year's World Cup, hope to replicate their semi-final run from the last AFCON competition in Ivory Coast in 2024. However, the coach admits that this could be a challenging mission considering the level of competition.