- South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has delivered a blunt assessment of the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
- Broos has stated that while Morocco’s infrastructure is world-class, the tournament is lacking energy and supporter engagement.
- He highlighted the stark contrast in attendance between the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast and the current tournament in Morocco.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has delivered a blunt assessment of the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations claiming that while Morocco’s infrastructure is world-class, the tournament is suffering from a lack of vibe and fan engagement.
Despite the high-tech quality stadiums and seamless logistics provided by the North African hosts, Broos expressed nostalgia for the electric fan atmospheres witnessed in previous editions in Ivory Coast and Gabon.
Speaking to the media ahead of Monday’s fixture against Zimbabwe,Broos didn’t hold back on his disappointment regarding the empty seats and quiet streets.
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South Africa head coach Hugo Broos contrasts Morocco’s tournament with past editions
“I don’t feel the same vibe I felt in Ivory Coast or Gabon, where every second of the tournament you felt like you were truly in a tournament. There is no vibe here; there is no typical AFCON atmosphere,” Broos said.
The veteran Belgian tactician noted that he emotional heartbeat of the competition,the fans,is noticeably absent in Morocco
“It’s fine that we play the games and have the cool stadiums and everything you need but in Ivory Coast, the stadiums were full and the crowds were involved. Here if they don’t let the people free in the stadiums, then there’s nobody,” he explained.
Broos highlighted the stark contrast in attendance between the 2023 edition in Ivory Coast and the current tournament in Morocco. He pointed out that matches involving high-profile Southern African teams have struggled to attract local crowds.
Nobody is coming to watch the game, South Africa against Zimbabwe, nobody came to see South Africa Vs Angola.
In Ivory Coast our first game was Mali but Tunisia and Namibia, there was a crowd in the stadium. The people were involved in the tournament, I don’t feel that here.
When we went with the bus to train, the people were waving and carrying flags. Here, you see nothing, recalled Broos.”
While Morocco has been praised for providing some of the best pitches and training facilities in the history of the competition,concerns have been raised about the fan engagement especially when the hosts are not in action.
Following their 2-1 win over Angola in the opening match and 1-0 loss to Egypt,South Africa will now face neighbours Zimbabwe on Monday in their final group stage match.
A draw or win will be enough for them to progress to the round of 16.