Riveiro flattered by Bafana talk but urges fans to back Broos for now

Jose Riveiro is chuffed to be tipped by some to succeed Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, but he argues that it’s not up to him to decide — which is why the masses should continue celebrating the team’s trajectory for now.

Broos will vacate his national team hot seat after the 2026 Fifa World Cup, bringing to an end an illustrious five-year tenure that already includes qualifying for back-to-back AFCON tournaments, as well as next year’s global showpiece in North America.

Given that Broos’ shoes will be difficult to fill, a number of pundits and Bafana followers have backed Riveiro to take over the reins from the silver-haired Belgian.

Their motivation is inspired by the fact that Riveiro had an equally impressive three-year spell at Orlando Pirates — winning five trophies and finishing as league runners-up three times — before moving to Egyptian giants Al Ahly this season, where his stay was overwhelmingly short-lived.

Speaking upon his return to the country on Wednesday as the Carling All-Stars ambassador — after being the winning coach of the one-day match in the last two seasons — Riveiro reflected on the faith shown in him.

“You feel glad and proud of whichever compliment you get from people, either on a professional level or as a person,” Riveiro said. “But this time, we are talking about me as a football coach.

“Whoever is thinking about me to fill whatever role professionally, I will always feel glad and proud of that. It’s not something that comes easily — it comes through hard work and dedication. So, whoever is thinking about us to lead whatever project in football is something that we need to appreciate.”

Be that as it may, Riveiro is not getting carried away, telling himself that being seen as a candidate to succeed Broos shouldn’t distract from supporting the current team rather than looking at it through a future lens.

“I’m going to repeat myself again: we are living today, and we have to enjoy what Bafana is doing today,” Riveiro said. “I think whatever happens to Bafana is not going to be decided today, or by us.

“Let’s enjoy the football they are playing, and the work that Hugo and his team have put in over the last four years. They are finally producing good performances and good football. Let’s try to participate in that moment in our respective roles — as spectators.

“We cannot take tomorrow for granted, so imagine speculating about what will happen in a space of seven months.”

Riveiro might be unemployed at the moment, but it’s not because he has been short of offers. He explained why he has not yet taken up his next gig.

“Plenty of offers,” Riveiro said. “There were conversations, proposals, and opportunities. Obviously, I wanted to take my time — not necessarily to rest, but to reflect on my last days as a football coach.

“It’s been a period of a lot of emotions and a lot of work. I wanted to take time and distance from football, and that’s what I did. It’s about time now for what I’ve been looking forward to, so I can continue with my career.”

Some pundits and Bafana fans hope Riveiro’s career will continue with the national team. After all, they argue he has similar coaching qualities to Broos.

Whether or not that will be the case remains to be seen. For now, Riveiro just wants to sit back and support Bafana — both at the upcoming AFCON in Morocco next month and at the World Cup in North America in winter.