South Africa's national football team head coach, Hugo Broos, revealed that he was invited by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to arrange a friendly match against Morocco. However, he declined the offer. In an interview with SABC Sport, Broos explained his decision, saying he didn't want his team to suffer a heavy defeat like the 5-0 loss to France in March 2022. «You should play with the best team you have. Right now, all the players from Sundowns are absent, and we have several young players», he said. Broos added, «I immediately rejected the idea of facing Morocco. People don't realize what it means to play against the Moroccan national team and lose to them». He emphasized, «It's important to choose a strong opponent, but certainly not the strongest team in Africa».
