With national team caps being handed out like playing cards these days, the lustre of the Bafana Bafana jersey has long since dimmed. The brand is nowhere near as strong as it used to be, and the blame for this should fall squarely on the shoulders of the South African Football Association (SAFA).
It was never stated out loud for fear of rocking political sensibilities but there was a time when the Bafana Bafana brand was bigger than Nelson Mandela.
South Africa’s first democratically elected president was coming to the end of his term in power when Bafana Bafana were at the height of theirs and it would have been a close call to see who was the most popular.
But that was almost two decades ago and while the legend and legacy of Madiba burns brightly, the Bafana brand has about as much attraction as a sorry piece of charred tough steak without any pap or gravy.
The lustre is gone. It was just weeks ago, on a chilly afternoon, amid the dust of the North West Province, at the Moruleng Stadium where just a few thousand bothered to turn up to watch the latest version of the national team go through its paces … against Botswana in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers.
It was a sad indictment of what depths the Bafana name has fallen too, participating in a meaningless match with a rag-tag squad with very few people interested in the outcome.
Bu hikaye Kickoff dergisinin September 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Kickoff dergisinin September 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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