Five Reasons for Bafana Bafana's Poor Spectator Turnout

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Bafana Bafana is no longer a popular football brand in the country and, by extension, the world, WRITES MOLIFI TSHABALALA

During last month’s FIFA break, South Africa played two international friendly matches against Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the Orlando Stadium, which has a capacity of 37 139. Embarrassingly, a spectator turnout for both matches left much to be desired. Reports indicate that somewhere in the region of 8,000 tickets had been sold for the match against Namibia.

“Look, I want to play every game in a full stadium,” said Hugo Broos, a South African senior men’s team coach, commenting on the poor spectator turnout in a post-match interview. “Honestly,” continued the Belgian, “I expected that there would be more supporters today because we did results.”

Even more embarrassingly, the Congolese fans had outnumbered their South African counterparts, thanks to, ironically, the South African Football Association (SAFA). The irony of it is that, in collaboration with the Congolese embassy, SAFA had ‘mobilised’ the thousands of Congolese fans in the country, unashamedly revealed its chief executive officer (CEO) Lydia Monyepao.

According to Pintshou Kanga Nzenza, a Congolese who plied his trade in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for Kaizer Chiefs, some of the fans had flown from the DRC. The two matches, which formed part of South Africa’s preparation for the 2024 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast and the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, sparked a debate on reasons why South Africans have turned their back against Bafana Bafana, as the senior men’s national team is affectionately known.

Gauteng, which boasts Orlando Stadium and a host of other world-class stadiums, has been given preference to host Bafana Bafana matches than any other province, which is one of the reasons ascribed to the poor spectator turnout. In all fairness to the South African football fanatics, they travel the length and breadth of the country to support their favourite clubs.

Seeking to demystify the notion that people in his province are not football fanatics, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lusufi ascribed the spectator turnout to the poor quality of opponents. “We played against Morocco at the FNB Stadium and it was full,” he said, as quoted by Sunday World, a South African newspaper.

The quality of opponents does of course impinge on the poor spectator turnout. For the purpose of this piece, at least three more plausible reasons can be ascribed to the poor spectator turnout, namely:

A Steady Downward Spiral of Bafana Bafana

In 1992, following its readmission to the international football community, South Africa lied 124^th on the FIFA rankings. Although Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for both the 1994 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 1994 FIFA World Cup, it had been on an upward trajectory.

It was no wonder that the team, which comprised a stellar of legendary players, such as Doctor Khumalo (who scored its first goal against Cameroon at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal), Erick Tinkler and Mark Williams, won the 1996 AFCON on the home soil. Drastically, it leapfrogged to the 16^th position on the FIFA rankings and first on the continent. Currently, it lies 65^th on the FIFA rankings.

In the subsequent edition of the AFCON, held in 1998, South Africa lost to Egypt in the final. In the same year, Bafana Bafana made their maiden appearance at the FIFA World Cup in France but failed to progress beyond the group stages.

The same happened at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Thenceforth, the team went on a steady downward spiral, failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we had qualified by virtue of having been granted the rights to host the tournament. Embarrassingly, we became the first hosts who failed to progress beyond the group stages. In essence, we have qualified for only two world cups.

Jordaan and FTF taking us nowhere

As the downward trajectory continued unabatedly with no end in sight, former sports minister Fikile Mbalula called for the team made up of Siphiwe Tshabalala, Teko Modise, and Tshepo Masilela among others to be “dismantled and refurbished by around young players,” such as Andile Jali, Ayanda Patosi, Bongani Zungu and Dean Furman.

“If anything should be learnt from the game, it is a lack of progression,” remarked SAFA president Danny Jordaan, concurring with the then-sports minister. In fact, our football has further lost direction under Jordaan, who has risen to its pinnacle under the banner of the Football Transformation Forum (FTF).

Apart from Bafana Bafana’s failure to qualify for the three FIFA World Cups with him at the helm, SAFA is broke. Hence, the association could not afford to pay Banyana Banyana players bonuses for their participation in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It had to be bailed out by the Motsepe Foundation, a case of a friend (Patrice Motsepe, a CAF president and Mamelodi Sundowns owner) coming to a friend (Jordaan) rescue.

With Bafana Bafana having qualified for the forthcoming, it remains to be seen whether the association would be able to pay the players bonuses. Under Jordan’s presidency, SAFA had sung us a so-called Vision 2022, as part of which we would qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. As indicated, we had failed to qualify for it.

A Lack of South African Identity

Broos must understand that South African football fanatics do not just value positive results. Equally important, they value an entertaining brand of football that is infused with South African flair and skills, what is usually referred to as ‘Shibobo and tsamaya’.

The Class of 1996, as the Bafana Bafana that won the country’s only AFCON trophy is affectionately known, played this brand of football. Despite being on a winning streak, the current team does not play an entertaining brand of football to attract many fans to fill up stadiums. It lacks a South African identity, largely owing to Broos’ dull European brand of football.

Due to his brand of football, coupled with the aforementioned reasons, Bafana Bafana is no longer a popular football brand in the country and, by extension, the world. Hence, the vast majority of South Africans have lost a great deal of interest in the team.

In fact, Banyana Banyana, a senior women’s team, has become more popular than Bafana Bafana in recent years. While their male counterparts are on a downward spiral, the girls have been on the rise.

In 2022, Banyana Banyana, which plays an entertaining brand of football, not only won their maiden Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) but also qualified for their second FIFA Women’s World Cup in a row. They became the first South African team to progress to the knockout stages. Their brand of football has won the hearts of football lovers across the world.

***Tshabalala is an author and independent political analyst.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Republic Mail and its associates.