Hugo Broos Opens Up on Why He Was Fired As Coach of Cameroon National Football Team

• Hugo Broos has detailed what transpired before he was relieved of his duties as Cameroon's head coach
• Less than a year after guiding the Indomitable Lions to the AFCON title in 2017, the tactician was sacked
• The current Bafana Bafana manager has shared insight into some of the allegations levelled against him

The head coach of the South African national football team, Hugo Broos, has opened up on what went wrong during his time with the Cameroonian national team.

Barely 10 months after guiding the Indomitable Lions to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title, the tactician was shown the door.

Broos has detailed all that transpired before he was sacked, including allegations that he was extorting money from players before they were called up to the national team.

He explained that there appeared to be some similarities with his present situation with South Africa, having led them to a third-place finish at the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

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Bafana Bafana have a date with Nigeria and Zimbabwe in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June and friendly games against Andorra (March 21) and Algeria (March 26) are on the cards.

In 2017, Cameroon lost 4-0 to Nigeria and then fell out of their 2018 World Cup campaign. Commenting on the manner of his departure, Broos said this week, via Times Live:

"I was in the hotel with the staff, I forget before which game, and there was a sports programme [on TV]. There were two guests, and one of them said, ‘I know the coach, team manager and team doctor asked for money for players to be in the national team. €5,000 if they want to play’.

"We were all in front of the TV saying, ‘What is this guy saying?’. The team manager and the doctor went to court. They stopped the programme and the guy got a fine. That’s Cameroon."

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The official reason for Broos' sacking was the failure of the national team to make the World Cup in 2018, but his words suggest there may have been more at play.

Broos wants update on Foster's availability

Sports Brief earlier reported that Broos is determined to understand Lyle Foster and determine his availability for South Africa's upcoming international matches.

The Burnley striker withdrew from his country's AFCON 2023 squad ahead of the tournament, despite playing games for his Premier League club in the weeks to follow.

Broos said he wanted to speak with Foster directly to gauge his willingness to represent South Africa, ahead of their friendlies against Andorra and Algeria next month.