Hugo Broos has bid farewell to South Africa after officially ending his tenure as head coach of Bafana Bafana.
The Belgian mentor made history by leading Bafana to the knockout round of the FIFA 2026 World Cup after two successive African Cup of Nations appearances.
He was credited with revitalising the national team and was called on to remain in his post for the upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
But Broos always said that he would step away from the game after the tournament won by Spain in a testy final in New York against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Now with his contract having come to an end, the 74-year-old has penned an emotional farewell.
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He wrote: “Dear guys, with pain in my heart, I will not extend my contract as coach of Bafana Bafana.
“My long absence from my family and the many lonely moments in South Africa have led me to make this difficult decision. We started five years ago a near-impossible mission.
“Through hard work, discipline, mentality and quality, our results kept getting better with a historic second round at WC 2026 a month ago.
“I want to thank you for believing in me as a coach, for the fantastic atmosphere you created in the team. Our relationship was more than a coach-player relationship; I will never forget you. Thank you for everything. Coach Hugo.”