By Batsirai Sango.
Football pundits and soccer fanatics in South Africa especially the greater continent of Africa at large would not have been blamed for thinking Bafana Bafana’s finest hour in the 1996 nations cup triumph was mere fluke. For the neutrals it was a case of sheer commitment, hard work, dedication, grit and heart considering the nemesis they put away enroute to the apex of African football glory, and the rich form of vein in that aftermath also prove otherwise the fluke narrative.
The class of 1996 was simply luminary and quite naturally inspired a host of many young South Africans to take up football as a career with prospects of playing for the national team and making an equally indelible mark as the class of 1996.
Continuity is always the key to the success of any team sport, and with the world’s most beautiful game the Samba boys of Brazil have been the one distinct example with the late great god of football Pele, playing in 4 world cups winning 3 in the process and both the football administrators, and the technical experts of Bafana Bafana had that appreciation early on as the entire class of 1996, were the protagonists once more in the 1997 Africa zone FIFA world cup qualifiers’ campaign.
As earlier mentioned in the opening remarks, if the 1996 triumph had been a “fluke” the aftermath of it would prove otherwise, as Bafana Bafana were once placed in a tricky group alongside regional SADC nemesis Chipolopolo of Zambia led by King Kalu as Kalusha Bwalya is affectionately known in Zambia, Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo then known as Zaire.
For most of the blog’s readers and followers many would be wondering how this group would have been tricky, as the countries mentioned do not invoke any recent memory of success especially in the millennium century but then, these were teams that would send shivers down the spine of any team, with the Republic of Congo having been champions in 1972, Zaire triumphing in 1978 and Zambia reaching the finals 3 years prior the qualifiers in aftermath of the tragic air crash that killed a generation of players destined for greatness.
And by all accounts it was another group of death for the reigning African champions Bafana Bafana in the qualifiers having been in one in the nations cup which had former champions the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the Pharaohs of Egypt and regional counterparts Angola. The campaign began in November whilst Bafana were still basking in glory taking on central African giants Zaire and the setting was once again FNB stadium where a few months earlier South Africa had made history by becoming continental champions.
FNB stadium as always was packed and the late Philemon Chippa Masinga scored the solitary goal that opened the qualifying campaign for France98, and as destiny and fate would have it Chippa as he was affectionately referred to by adoring fans would once again score the final and the solitary priceless goal to close the campaign in a winner takes all match against the republic of Congo, sending Bafana Bafana to their first dance at the global showpiece, and what a beauty of a goal it was, a blistering thunderbolt from 25 yards.
The importance of the goal and what it brought ranks it in the same league as the goals scored by the late Diego Maradona at Mexico86 at the Estadio Azteca that have been immortalized with one being dubbed the Hand of God and the other the goal of the century. Considering what Masinga’s strike brought to the shores of South Africa it ought to be immortalized for its profound impact, and ranks as the best goal scored at the FNB stadium in national team colors.
Bafana Bafana’s stock was rising on the continent as football powerhouses and soon to be continental giants, and having qualified for France98 on the back of being crowned Africa champions in 1996, with the Africa Cup Nations in 1998 looming it was another opportunity for the young nation to cement its status, and cement they did bringing with them to the land of the upright people Burkina Faso the hosts of 1998 edition a host of young blood to compliment the class of 1996 in defense of the title.
The headline young Bafana Bafana were Benny McCarthy and Quinton Fortune both 20 years of age and turning for Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam of the Netherlands and Athletico Madrid in Spain, and the youngest lad in the squad Aaron Mokoena 17 years old turning out for Jomo Cosmos owned by the most prominent football personality in South Africa during and post the dark years of Apartheid Jomo Sono.
And introduce themselves they did the young lads with Benny McCarthy making history at that tender age scoring 4 goals against Namibia and the fastest hattrick in Afcon history becoming the first and only player until to date to score 4 goals in a single Afcon tournament game. He would once again come to the fore scoring the opening goal in the last 8 triumph against Morrocco enroute to the semifinals and if 1996 had been a fluke certainly Burkina Faso 1998 would not be the same narrative and on to the semifinals South Africa marched on where the Democratic Republic of the Congo former Zaire was lying in wait.
And boy oh boy it was a Benny McCarthy show once again with the young prodigy scoring the equalizer after the defending champions had gone behind 1nil in the 48th minute and becoming a hero grabbing the winner in extra time to send Bafana Bafana into their 2nd consecutive final where the Pharaohs lay in wait.
Unfortunately, the script of 1996 could not be repeated as Bafana Bafana fell to the Pharaohs 2nil to relinquish their title, however the high was Benny McCarthy being joint top goal scorer the youngest player to ever achieve the feat sharing the accolade of the top marksman at the tourney with Hossam Hassan of Egypt the eventual winners, and McCarthy was also crowned player of the tournament a feat another Bafana player is still yet to achieve and follow in the footsteps.
Next stop was France 1998 with Bafana Bafana losing the opening encounter to hosts and eventual winners France, but however getting motivating draws against Denmark and Saudi Arabia in what was a learning curve at the global showpiece, and 2 years later again it was the biggest tournament on the continent cohosted by Ghana and Nigeria.
South Africa were losing semifinalists to the Super Eagles of Nigeria, however left the tournament on a high with Shaun Bartlett being crowned top goal scorer at the tournament the 2nd consecutive tournament a Bafana player was getting the chief marksman accolade after McCarthy at Burkina Faso 1998, a sign of potent strikers Bafana was grooming capable of conquering at the biggest stage on the continent and leys not forget you had your Patrick Mboma of Cameroon, Samuel Eto, Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria amongst top marksman on the continent.
However, after the 2002 Afcon tournament in Mali which Bafana bowed out at the last 8 stage and the Korea-Japan world cup the very same where it was a case of hard luck not progressing to the knockout stage , the seemingly awakening giant of African football as evidenced by the meticulous journey and rise from 1996 began to doss off into slumber that had characterized the game during the years of isolation with the apartheid system in place.
The class of 1996 and the immediate starlets that came through the ranks with Benny McCarthy, Quinton Fortune at Burkina Fano 1998 and Sibusiso Zuma and Siyabonga Nomvethe proved to be the last straw as it were as Bafana Bafana have become literally a pale shadow of the promising football nation, they promised to be from 1996 right up to 2002.
Prior to the world cup in 2002 the whole of Denmark was still speechless after Sibusiso Zuma’s tremendous goal for FC Copenhagen on June 10, 2001 in a Danish league match, a goal Denmark still talks about to this very day, that just goes to show the kind of talent Bafana Bafana used to possess at the time.
Boy oh boy it was a beauty, and it is such goals if immortalized through local football channels will inspire the next generation of players, the goal ranks as the greatest in FC Copenhagen history, and also ought to rank as the greatest goal by a Bafana Bafana player plying their trade abroad.
The somehow prevailing mediocrity at all levels of the game is heartbreaking, as Bafana Bafana struggles to fill-up the FNB stadium and finds it difficult to inspire confidence which the generation mentioned above managed to do with relative ease and fans always had the confidence of coming back from national team games with big smiles on the faces.
Cry my beloved Bafana the once awakening giant of African football, one hopes the cries will awaken that giant once promising awakening giant.
