Hugo Broos believes that Helman Mkhalele should succeed him as Bafana Bafana boss when he retires after the World Cup.
Broos has made no secret of the fact that he intends to step down from his post after the 2026 tournament, when he will be 74 years old.
The Belgian has breathed life back into Bafana since his appointment in 2021, with his side unlucky not to reach the 2022 World Cup before impressive displays at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, where they finished third.
Speaking after celebrating their qualification success, which saw Bafana end on top of Group C, ahead of Nigeria, Broos explained his reasoning behind the choice.
He said in the Citizen: “Everyone knows I stop after the World Cup because of my age, not because I don’t like it anymore here.
“If I was 10 years younger, you can be sure I would want to stay here for another two years, and it would be seven years. I’m very happy here… I’ll be 74. I read that I’ll be the oldest coach.
“It’s time to go to my family; they have made sacrifices in the last 30 years to focus on my career, now I must focus on them.
“I think the best thing to do is for Helman [Mkhalele] to become the coach after me, because then you have a follow-up on the same thing.
“When Helman takes the team, the way of work and the philosophy will be the same, with a little bit more African thing because I’m European. Helman 95% he thinks the same thing as me. It should be very good.”