'I have a good feeling': Hugo Broos happy with what he's seen as Bafana start Afcon preparations

The hard-to-please Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was a happy man after the team held its first training session in Stellenbosch on Friday, as its Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) preparations started in earnest. 

The team assembled in Johannesburg on Thursday evening before flying to the Western Cape on Friday morning. This after players were given a few days off, with the last round of the DStv Premiership matches played on the weekend of 30 and 31 December. 

It's an arrangement Broos has been clear in being against, slamming the Premier Soccer League at every chance he gets for its failure to support the national team. But Broos was in good spirits after Bafana held their first training session, even heaping praise on the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport facilities the team is using. 

"First of all, I am happy that all 23 players are here," Broos told SAFA media.

"It's a full team. To start the first training session with all players is always good. Second, maybe it's too soon, but I got the feeling that the players wanted to start. They wanted to train and prepare for the Afcon. Yes, I have a good feeling. 

"The four days that the players got off have been a very good thing. Before that break, there were a lot of players who were exhausted and needed four or five days off to spend time with their families and switch off from football. But when you are a professional, after four or five days off you need the ball. That's what I saw at training, and it's a good sign."

Bafana will fly to Ivory Coast on Wednesday, playing just one training match against Lesotho after SAFA failed to organise tougher opponents for the team to sharpen its skills with before the continental tournament. 

Leading up to the Afcon, Bafana played friendlies