Bafana boss Broos calls his critics 'short-sighted and cheap' as Afcon qualifier looms

Hugo Broos was once again upbeat when he faced the media on Wednesday.

The 70-year-old Bafana Bafana head coach decided it was the perfect moment to defend himself and his team, calling "critics short-sighted and cheap".

READ | 'I will not pick Bongani Zungu!': No-nonsense Bafana boss Broos sticking to his guns

Broos replaced Molefi Ntseki in May last year, overseeing the 2022 World Cup qualifiers but losing the final group match to Ghana, which ended Bafana's hopes of advancing to the third and final round despite reaching 13 points.

Bafana and Broos have all their attention on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) as their journey takes to the whistle next Thursday, 9 June, against mighty Morocco in a Group K encounter.

Group A: Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome

Group B: Cape Verde, Togo, Eswatini, Burkina Faso

Group C: Namibia, Burundi, Cameroon

Group D: Ethiopia, Malawi, Guinea, Egypt

Group E: Angola, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Ghana

Group F: Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Algeria

Group G: The Gambia, Congo, South Sudan, Mali

Group H: Lesotho, Comoros, Zambia, Ivory Coast

Group I: Gabon, Mauritania, Sudan, DR Congo

Group J: Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Tunisia

Group K: Liberia, South Africa, Morocco

Group L: Mozambique, Rwanda, Benin, Senegal

Before talking Afcon qualifiers, Broos wanted to clear the air or at least address the issue that he felt was getting out of hand.

"This is the new chapter that we are starting after the World Cup qualifiers last year," Broos told reporters.

"Before we talk about the qualifiers for Afcon, I want to go back to the qualifiers of the World Cup. For me, it was a success with a disappointing end because we lost the last game.

"That goal 'killed' us, and it