'Everything starts now for you', Hugo Broos tells SA Under-20 heroes

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has dangled a carrot of senior national team selection to South Africa’s Under-20 heroes.

The all-conquering Amajita arrived back in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon after beating Morocco in Sunday’s CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cairo. Not only did they win the continental crown, they also booked their spot in the Under-20 World Cup in Chile later this year.

After congratulating coach Raymond Mdaka and his team, Broos urged the players to continue working hard.

“Everything starts now for you,” Broos said when greeting the players at OR Tambo International in Johannesburg. “You are on a crossroads. If you take the right direction I’ll be seeing you back next year in Bafana Bafana in big stadiums here in South Africa, or maybe abroad.

“Or you can take the other way and that’s the wrong way. You have every opportunity to enjoy a fulfilling career as a professional football player for the next 10 to 12 years, and believe me it’s the nicest profession you can imagine.

“But you still have to work very hard in the next months. I hope you guys take the right lifestyle this is very important to achieve.”

Broos also had some words for coach Mdaka, who had to scramble to put the team together after some key players were withdrawn by their clubs ahead of the tournament.

“I followed every game, and I have to congratulate you coach first of all for the motivation you did in that team. When you saw them playing, they were motivated they wanted to do a big result.

“I say congratulations for the tactical moves you had, for the fantastic mentality that showed on the field. I think you did a very great job to bring this trophy here to South Africa.”