Magazine: Soccer in South Africa
By Brad Morgan in Football on 16th Aug 2007 17:30
An article sourced by Peter Leroy from SouthAfrica.info
by
Brad Morgan
Football - or soccer, as we call it - is the most widely played sport in
South Africa, with its traditional support base in the black community. For many South Africans the country's proudest sporting moment came when we won
the Africa Cup of Nations on home turf in 1996 - having failed even to qualify for the previous cup.
Soccer is intensely followed, and the quality of the local game keeps improving - as demonstrated by the increasing number of South African players-in-exile among the glamorous European clubs.
The national football team, Bafana Bafana - "The Boys" - may not have
progressed beyond the first round of the 2002 World Cup, but five goals, one
win, one draw and a 3-2 thriller against Spain did more than erase the
disappointment of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali - it seemed to
confirm South Africa's arrival as a force in world football.
'The Boys' come of age
Bafana Bafana, Amaglug-glug
Unfortunately, that inspiring performance has shown itself to be a false
dawn, with Bafana failing to qualify for the 2006 Fifa World Cup. Whatever
their performance, they will take part in the 2010 tournament - they receive
an automatic qualification, because South Africa is hosting the event.
South Africa was announced as host of the 2010 Fifa World Cup in May 2004.
The decision meant the Rainbow Nation would become the first African hosts
of soccer's showpiece event.
At the 2004 African Cup of Nations, South Africa opened with a two-nil win
over Benin, but then slipped to a four-nil thrashing at the hands of
Nigeria. A one-all draw against Morocco meant Bafana Bafana missed out on
the quarterfinals.
Bafana Bafana continued to slip down the world rankings in 2005, and in 2006
they turned in a poor performance at the African Cup of Nations, losing all
three of their first round matches without scoring a single goal.
But South African age-group soccer has shown itself to be strong, as the
national under-12 team won the Danone Nations Cup tournament, beating Poland
two-nil in the final in Paris.
In another boost, Ace Ntsoelengoe was elected to the US National Soccer Hall
of Fame.
The domestic game
Local teams, organised in a national league plus a plethora of knock-out
cups, are followed with the same passion as in many other countries, by
paint-daubed, costumed, whistling and cheering fans. Mercifully, the country
has been spared the spectre of football hooliganism.
Soccer was the first of the country's three major sports - the other two
being cricket and rugby - to fully integrate. Today there is a good mix of
players in the Premier Soccer League, the national team and other less
glamorous sides.
There's probably no quicker way to "break the ice" with the South African on
the street than to demonstrate some knowledge of local soccer. To help you
improve your conversational skills, here's a crash course on the country's
most important teams and competitions.
Kaizer Chiefs
The country's favourite club soccer side never seems to play an away match -
Kaizer Chiefs draw more supporters at away games than their opposition home
teams!
Founded by Kaizer Motaung, who made his name in the United States when the
American league was drawing such superstars as Pele, Johan Cruyff and Franz
Beckenbauer, Chiefs have proved to be one of South Africa's most successful
teams, and in 2002 secured their first ever African title when they won the
Cup Winners Cup, renamed after former South African President Nelson
Mandela, by defeating Inter Luanda of Angola in the final.
Orlando Pirates
Orlando Pirates are the oldest soccer team in South Africa and its support
base extends across the country's borders.
Pirates are the only South African team so far to have won Africa's premier
club competition, the Champions League, a feat they achieved in 1995. They
are also one of only three teams that have won the South African Premier
Soccer League since its launch in 1997, securing the title in 2000/01 and
2002/03.
Pirates: 2002/03 PSL champs
Pirates dominate 2002/03 PSL awards
Tributes for Lesley Manyathela
Like Chiefs, Pirates seldom are disadvantaged when they play away from home,
with fanatical supporters spread throughout South Africa.
Premier Soccer League (PSL)
South Africa's most important club soccer league came into being in 1997
with Manning Rangers, coached by Gordon Igesund, stunning all and sundry by
winning the title ahead of a number of more fancied opponents. From 1998 to
2000 the league was dominated by Sundowns, who pulled off a hat-trick of
titles.
In 2001, Igesund moved to Orlando Pirates and helped the Buccaneers secure
the title. The following season he moved to Cape Town-based Santos, and
steered it to win the league title, thus becoming the first coach to win the
championship with three different clubs.
The PSL has helped raise the standard of club football in South Africa,
providing the sport with better media coverage and much-improved revenue
through strong sponsorship deals. It has also provided a platform for local
players to make their mark and catch the eye of overseas clubs.
Previous Castle Premiership winners:
1996-1997: Manning Rangers
1997-1998: Sundowns
1998-1999: Sundowns
1999-2000: Sundowns
2000-2001: Orlando Pirates
2001-2002: Santos
2002-2003: Orlando Pirates
2003-2004: Kaizer Chiefs
2004-2005: Kaizer Chiefs
2005-2006: Mamelodi Sundowns.
Knockout competitions
There are a number of knockout competitions that are played alongside the
league fixtures.
The Bobsave Superbowl was soccer's premier knockout competition, giving
clubs from lower leagues the opportunity to face the more fancied clubs from
the Premier League. No lower league team yet has managed to capture the
silverware, but the competition has provided a remarkable 11 winners in the
12 years it has been held. Only Moroka Swallows, with victories in 1989 and
1991, have managed to win the title more than once.
This has since been replaced by the Absa Cup, after First National Bank
withdrew its sponsorship of the competition at the end of 2001. The
inaugural Absa Cup was won by Santos in 2002.
Other knockout competitions include the SAA Supa 8 competition, which
replaced the long-running BP-sponsored Top Eight. The competition is
contested at the beginning of the PSL season by the teams that finished in
the top eight bracket in the previous season. Jomo Cosmos are the current
holders of the SAA Supa 8 Cup.
The Coca-Cola Cup is another competition that features all the 16 top flight
teams on a knockout basis. This is one of the lucrative competitions in the
Premier League, with the winners pocketing R1.2-million in prize money.
Lower Leagues
The First Division, which had previously included 30 teams, divided into a
Coastal Stream and an Inland Stream, amalgamated into a single league with
16 teams in 2004/2005.
The Second Division is made up of 18 teams, consisting of the top two
finishers of nine regional competitions played around South Africa. The
Third Division is a massive league played on a regional basis, and it is
from this division that the Second Division clubs come.
Source: SouthAfrica.info
The all-in-one official guide
and web portal to South Africa.
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