adminLIBREVILLE. — Rarely has a coach overseen as much change in as short a time as Hugo Broos but in less than a year in charge of Cameroon, the Belgian has taken an inexperienced group to the African Cup of Nations soccer final. Cameroon continued to overcome the odds and exceed expectations at the tournament in Gabon as they beat Ghana 2-0 in the semi-finals on Thursday night to book a place in tomorrow’s final against Egypt.
It has been a whirlwind 11 months for Broos, who played for Belgium at the 1986 World Cup and won league titles as coach of Club Bruges and Anderlecht. “In the 29 years I’ve been a coach I’ve never worked with a group like this,” he enthused after the semi-final.
Largely unknown in Africa, Broos’ arrival in Cameroon was met with scepticism that largely continued until a few days ago. But Broos single-mindedly set about reviving the Indomitable Lions, who despite qualifying for the last two World Cups, had lost much of their lustre.
Sacred cows were sacrificed as the Belgian cooked up his own recipe, discarding much of the team’s old guard and throwing untested youngsters into the mix.
Between his first and second games in charge — both against South Africa in qualifiers in March — he made five changes and the rate of experimentation continued at much the same pace through seven internationals before Cameroon arrived in Gabon. — Reuters.
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