News reaching KickOff is that Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos was on the radar of one of the country’s biggest teams before taking charge of the senior national team in 2021.
According to sources, Broos was eyed by Orlando Pirates, with the hope of bringing his wealth of experience to the Soweto giants.
However, nothing came of that interest.
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“After leaving Cameroon in 2017, there was a period when coach Hugo Broos was unattached. Orlando Pirates spoke to his camp, not directly with the coach, but I’m not sure what happened in those talks because they really wanted to bring him to South Africa to take charge of their team," revealed a source privy to the information.
"He was one of the strong candidates for the then vacant position because of his experience. Once again, they didn’t speak directly with the coach, as far as I know, but through his management team."
Our informants further revealed that the Buccaneers were looking to stabilise their team with an experienced campaigner after changing coaches in quick succession.
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“Remember after Muhsin Ertugral resigned live on television in 2016? Augusto Palacios had to stand in as an interim until 2017. Then came Kjell Jonevret, who left in the same year.
"The team then appointed 'Micho' (Milutin Sredojevic) for his second stint, and I think they were looking at coach Broos before Micho’s appointment,” revealed another source.
Broos has maintained he will be retiring from coaching after the 2026 FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
