South Africa Football Blog

At the end of their encounter with France, Carlos Parreira turned to a camera and tearfully said, ‘I feel at home here, these boys have been unbelievable. I will always remember this country.’ This moment will always stay in my mind; it summed up the whole spirit of South Africa perfectly. Whilst South Africa didn’t qualify, their campaign has been a memorable one – from entertainment, to despair, and back again.
Never before had there been such a pre-tournament anticipation; once a dream, an African nation hosting a World Cup was now a …

South Africa’s exit from the World Cup was disappointing to say the least (even from a neutral’s point of view), despite the fact that it was expected. Some players’ performed exceptionally well, yet some underperformed massively. Here I will take a brief look at each squad member, summarising their contribution to South Africa’s performances.
Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Khune: Made some fine saves against Mexico in the opener, but ultimately it was his moment of madness against Uruguay that cost them the chance of picking up any points. 6 (out of 10)
Moeneeb Josephs: Drafted …

At half-time in this Group A encounter, the unthinkable was on the horizon. South Africa were beating France, Mexico were losing to the impressive Uruguay; only the virtue of two goals left the Bafana Bafana on the brink of qualification – but it was not to be. Carlos Parreira’s side became the first ever host nation to exit at the group stage despite a performance full of spirit and endeavour, although they may well be reflecting on countless opportunities to win the game by a larger margin.
The rumours that some of …

At the time of writing, no-one has a clue as to the side Raymond Domenech will field in their final group encounter against the hosts. Nicolas Anelka has been sent home for insulting the French coach; Patrice Evra clashed with their fitness coach; whilst it is believed that the whole squad has been divided over Domenech’s morals and squad selection. These farcial occurences are something that the Bafana Bafana’s will look to take advantage of in their slim quest for qualification.

Scenes such as these showcase the farcial French controversy

South Africa’s …

Forget all the pre-match hype about Uruguay’s tension. Forget their tepid display against France. Forget the fact that they almost didn’t even qualify. But remember this performance – a classic example of free-flowing, stylish football. Not only did Oscar Tabarez’s men beat the hosts, they slaughtered them; mainly down to the outstanding performance from Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan.
Forlans’ inspiring display silenced his critics and the previously relentless South African crowd, abruptly halting the Bafana Bafana’s qualification charge in the process. The hosts lined up with what was essentially the same …

On current evidence, there is no ‘outstanding’ team that is expected to win Group A; something which the hosts will be looking to exploit. Mexico were arguably weak in their opening encounter, whilst France and Uruguay played out a contender for this campaigns’ dullest encounter. However, South Africa boss Carlos Parreira will have taken one thing into account having watched countless video’s of this clash – Uruguay are certainly beatable.
The Bafana Bafana’s put in a heroic performance against Mexico last Friday, with only one moment of madness costing them an outstanding …

With seventy-eight minutes on the clock, it seemed as if South Africa had been granted the World Cup opening they wished for. Siphiwe Tshabalala had given the hosts the lead with a stunning left-footed strike, with the atmosphere bordering on ecstasy. That was, until, the stadium – bar a handful of Mexicans – was completely silenced. Poor defending gifted Rafael Marquez a simple opportunity to equalise; an opportunity he grabbed with both hands. Nonetheless, it was a momentous night in South Africa, certainly a night that Tshabalala will never forget.
President Jacob …

At 3pm BST, eleven yellow-shirted men will be greeted with passion, excitement, and anticipation from the vuvuzela-blowing African contingent. But this is not any South African game. This is an historical encounter, the first of its’ kind; a World Cup match on African soil. Everybody understands the tear-jerking story behind the football-crazy nation, yet the Bafana Bafana’s now have the chance to fully abolish these negative memories – starting with Mexico.

The South African fans will provide a loud and colourful backdrop to this historical encounter

South Africa’s form leading up to …

Since the World Cup began in 1930, every single host nation – from Chile to South Korea – has managed to qualify unscathed from the group stage. However, this regular occurrence is by no means guaranteed this year, with hosts South Africa the second lowest world-ranked side in the competition.
Placed in arguably the most competitive group, the Bafana Bafanas are rank outsiders to reach the last sixteen. Mexico, Uruguay, and France are all tough opponents, but it must be taken into account that South Africa are the ‘home’ side, with …

When Carlos Parreira selected his final squad for the upcoming World Cup, twenty-three were elated – but five were left distraught. Some of these selections were expected, such as the inclusion of Aaron Mokoena and Steven Pienaar, but Parreira caused shockwaves across the nation with the omission of West Ham’s Benni McCarthy. The 32 year-old talisman – famed for scoring the Bafana Bafana’s first ever World Cup finals goal – missed out after struggling for fitness, as well as his lack of goalscoring threat seen this season. Other surprise exclusions included ‘keeper …