Come on, Bafana!

Our very own, Bafana Bafana, are at the 2023 Cote d’Ivoire Afcon and a lot is expected of them. After all, they are representing one of the most football-crazy countries in the world. This is a country with arguably the best-run league in the continent, which ranks among the best even in the world. So, it comes as no surprise that a lot is expected from coach Hugo Broos’ charges.

When you look at how the Springboks captured everyone’s imagination, got the country so united and evoked a lot of emotions, throughout their recent successful 2023 IRB World Cup, you can only imagine how desperate this country is for a similar Bafana story. How much a good run for Bafana in this tournament would mean for our people. A lot is expected from our team because football, unlike rugby, is the number one sport in our country. Our passion is so much that we sometimes overestimate our quality and measure ourselves against some of the best teams in the world. Talk about punching above our weight!

While we all want to see Bafana do well in Ivory Coast, we have to be cautiously optimistic of our chances because, truth be told, we’ve lost a lot of ground when it comes to continental football, both at national and club level! When you look at our teams competing in the CAF inter-club competitions and our national team representing us, you realise that there is a lot of work that still needs to be done. It can’t be that Mamelodi Sundowns is the only South African team that continues to consistently push the envelope in the continent. They have been at it for almost a decade now and not just making numbers but being considered as serious contenders. The more teams we have in that space, the better the chances of our national team doing well. The more players we export to the top leagues in the world, the better the chances of our national team doing well beyond just qualifying for major events. That’s the only time we can start talking about our team being one of the best in the world. That’s the only time that we can raise our expectations to the level of measuring ourselves against anyone.

As optimistic and patriotic as we are, we have to be realistic with the situation. Just a quick glance at our Afcon track record will help put things into perspective. Since 1996, which was the first and last time we won this prestigious Afcon tournament, the best we’ve ever done was to finish second in 1998, in Burkina Faso. From defending champions to runners-up wasn’t bad at all. The following Afcon, 2000 Ghana/Nigeria, Bafana finished third and it was a serious downward spiral from there on. In fact, that was the last time South Africa finished in the Top Five at Afcon! That was 24 years ago! How do you then expect yourself to jump from last finishing in the Top Five 24 years ago to becoming a serious contender today? This is just a sober question that seeks to cast no aspersions on anyone. This comes from someone facing our reality and appreciating that we have to manage our expectations.

In the last five editions of Afcon, before heading to Ivory Coast, how did our Bafana perform? We finished in the quarterfinals twice, failed to qualify twice and exited in the group stage once. That’s what happened in the last five editions of the tournament, and this statistic doesn’t paint a glowing picture, nor does it shine on our chances of “Bringing it home!” If anything, the statistic shows the amount of work that still needs to be done in order to get our team back to where it belongs, among the best in the continent. This statistic also shows the tough mission coach Broos has in his hands. It is a wonderful achievement to have Bafana having qualified for this showpiece and all we should expect our boys to do is to go out there, give it their best shot because they can. What we expect from them, which is non-negotiable, is their best performances on the field. Them giving this tournament their all will be a win because, in all honesty, no one expects them to go the distance. let alone being crowned champions on Sunday, 11 February. If they were to surprise all of us by winning the tournament, it would mean the football gods know something we don’t. There are so many teams, teams that have been consistent, ahead of Bafana that will be seen as favourites to win the 34th edition of the biennial tournament. This is just brutal honesty, nothing less and certainly nothing more.

Even the fact that we have one team dominating our domestic league is not good. It goes to show the lack of tough competition, depth and quality. If we had a number of teams challenging Sundowns for honours, it would elevate the standard of football in our country and league. By so doing, we would have more strong teams participating in the CAF inter-club competitions. Those would be the teams that would be representing us at CAF on a regular basis, gaining invaluable experience, rather than sending a new team almost every season. This doesn’t help much because most of the teams are just going there to honour the fixtures, as they stand no chance or can’t afford to go further in these tournaments. The sooner they get knocked out, the better for their coffers. Then they will enjoy the little experience gained. However, if we had proper teams participating at these tournaments, doing exactly what Sundowns is doing – going out there to compete, not just add numbers, season after season – we would be talking a different story. We wouldn’t have 10 out of 23 players coming from just one team.

While people are complaining about Downs’ dominance in coach Broos’ squad, they forget that the experience and quality these players are bringing will be diluted by the players who have little to no continental experience, with all due respect to them. Most of our players aren’t competing at that level with their clubs and this is going to be a new experience for them. Only short-sighted football supporters will lament having so many Downs players in the team because, in reality, what choice did the coach have? He had to build his team around experience and players who are familiar with the conditions they will be faced with at this tournament. Where do you go to get that experience, domestically? Chloorkop! At the end of the day, just because someone is good at domestic level doesn’t mean they are good enough to compete at Afcon level. Also, the understanding that exists between the Sundowns players will go a long way in helping the team, as the coach has not had enough time to prepare for this tournament. This is the highest level where most teams will be bringing overseas-based players and they are of the highest standard.

Bafana can impress and use this tournament as a turning point for their fortunes. Giving a good account of themselves here can set the tone and ensure that this team goes far because they still have a bright future ahead of them. Just go out there and give it your all. We know you can do it, boys, and we will definitely be rooting for you. All the best for the tournament. Once again, not many expect you to win it, but just go out there and give it everything you have. That’s all we ask of you. Come on, Bafana! You can do this!

Losing the opening game 2-0 against Mali is not the end of the world. The result was certainly not a true reflection of the game. We can build on the first half performance and work on converting our chances because, at this level, you don’t always get many opportunities, therefore, the last thing you need is to waste the ones that you get. All the best against and Tunisia in what should be two interesting and must-win encounters.