Bafana Lost files
Remember the glory days of Bafana Bafana? From the electric atmosphere of the 2010 World Cup to the iconic 1996 AFCON victory, South Africa has tasted footballing greatness. But where did it all go?
So Bafana Bafana is going through some shit right now, we as a country have given up hope on our men’s national football team. It’s been 18 years since we qualified for a FIFA World Cup, which was Korea/Japan in 2002, after that we have been boosted with entering rather than qualify for tournaments. Hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a gift from God yet we couldn’t even go past the group stage, nothing but tears inside of me, we had a support of 54 million South Africans, and Africa behind us, even financial compensations were put on the table for players to score goals. Even though on the field things didn’t turn out like I had imagined, off the pitch we were a dream. The atmosphere in Mzansi was amazing, schools were closed everyone was happy, parties everywhere, public drinking was legalised and we loved the tourists. That’s one of the most memorable moments in South Africa.
2010 Bafana Bafana had a beautiful Adidas patterned yellow jersey for
the tournament, which half the country rocked be it legit or knock-off’s
from Jozi streets.
I still digs that jersey it brings back memories and at a point where South Africa was one as a country, but the 1996 Bafana jersey by Kappa still remains to be our best jersey. It was a gold and black striped Kappa jersey, loud as f•ck, and quarter to being a disaster of a design. It was a point when we the best in Africa, we played beautiful football ( diski ), and the best Bafana team with Lucas Radebe, Doctor Khumalo, Phil Masinga ( R.I.P ) Shoes Moshoe ( R.I.P ) captained by a rock solid Neil Tovey. We won the AFCON 1996, and that was 2 years after South Africa became a republic, so we were at our prime, we had hope.
2 years later we made it to the 1998 FIFA World Cup with an amazing goal from Phil Masinga vs Congo, oh what a moment, Clive Barker lost his mind with his famous aeroplane celebration and the nation broke into a frenzy. So that jersey resembles Bafana at their peak, Im glad the jersey was worn by our best players, even Benni McCarthy in 1998 Afcon with his four goal banger vs Namibia.
Besides Nelson Mandela and Tovey carrying the cup in ‘96 there is one image in our minds that can never be erased, a photo of the Bafana Bafana squad line up in 1996 at the African Cup of Nations. That photo is divine to our eyes, it’s like Lekganyane’s portrait on all the homes of ZCC faithfuls. Those were the gods.
Bafana were rocking a gold and white striped Kappa kit, be it the line up that beat Cameroon 3-0 or the eleven that won the final vs Tunisia, you pick. That kit is now part of football culture, I hope Kappa somehow decides to drop those kits again.
Enjoy the gallery below.
