The beauty of South African football is that it transcends sport in many ways those outside the country’s borders will truly never know. The Springboks have long been mythologized for their nation building and underlined by an unparalleled success on the field, but let’s face it they play in a much smaller pond, than Bafana who are in an ocean of football competition that will swallow you whole. It’s well known that Nelson Mandela loved Bafana, and he famously once described our iconic captain Lucas Radebe as hishero.
It’s well known that Nelson Mandela loved Bafana, and he famously once described our iconic captain Lucas Radebe as his When South Africa became a democracy in 1994, it wasn’t long after that Bafana won the AFCON in 1996 and qualified for the 1998 World Cup at their first attempt. Our sport thrived despite the country’s economic woes and the realities of crime and racial tension. Human rights were a key pillar of our new country, enshrined in our constitution and it was something praised around the world.
We were a place where freedom of speech and expression was encouraged, but never at the cost of infringing on other people’s rights. And that is the crossroads South African football finds itself in, after Hugo Broos’s bizarre rant at a pre-AFCONpress conference. And that is the crossroads South African football finds itself in, after Hugo Broos’s bizarre rant at a pre-AFCON Ahead of the tournament, Broos, who was clearly irritated, was critical over the US based Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who was late for Bafana camp.
[paywall]
In words that only could make sense to him, the Belgian said: “I can assure you: he (Mbokazi) is a black guy, but he will get out of my room as a white guy.” The 73-year-old did not stop there with his racially charged language and then took aim at Mbokazi’s agent Basia Michaels, making the following misogynistic comments: “I know what happened, a woman who is his agent and thinks she knows football is doing what many agents are doing and thinking about how much they can get. If she is a little bit clever, she knows there is Afcon and next year it’s the World Cup. That there will be other teams, better for his career, to go to and not to Chicago.”
[/paywall]
