South African soccer has survived decades of international denial and disadvantages and has progressed to a point where it is recognized as the country’s number one national sport. It commands the highest number of players (almost two million), multitudes of supporters who pack our stadiums every week and the highest number of television audiences.
Since the formation of the South African Football Association back in 1991 soccer has made great strides developing a strong infrastructure that enables players of all ages to prosper into refined and well polished artists of the sport.
Our national team Bafana Bafana, literally translated meaning “The Boys” has done the country proud in qualifying twice for the game’s premier tournament The World Cup – a feat few African countries have achieved in spite of years of exposure to international football. The crowning moment of South African soccer came when the country hosted and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996.
Since then the South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) has grown from strength to strength exporting some of the most valuable players at European football stage. Such players include Lucas Radebe who served Leeds United for a decade, Mark Fish who played for Bolton Wanderers and is now a prominent face in the British television series Fooballer’s Wives and many others.
Apart from the fanaticism and support that soccer enjoys it is also a big business opportunity for most that are involved in it. Two legendary players of old Jomo Sono and Kaizer Motaung who enjoyed rare international soccer exposure during the days of apartheid are now role model businessmen who have gone to form their own teams namely Kaizer Chiefs and Jomo Cosmos.
Our Premier Soccer League has also emerged to be the biggest importer of African football talent in the continent. Each team in the PSL has at least a player from other countries in Africa.
2010 World Cup Hosts
South Africans’ hearts were broken when the country lost the bid to host the 2006 to Germany by a single and controversial vote. Four years later the nation was glued by tears of joy as FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced South Africa as a clear winner for hosting the 2010 World Cup. It is not only a major stride for South Africa but through us the continent has earned the highest football recognition. This will be the first football World Cup to be staged in Africa.
The 2010 World Cup euphoria is one that will never die for many years to come and the preparations for the mega event are already at an advanced stage. Luckily very little would need to be done to South Africa’s network infrastructure. Most of it is already world class and the visitors will enjoy the same kind of roads, accommodation and telecommunication as most parts of Europe and in some cases even better.
Many stadiums are good enough to host the event but a few more fields are being constructed to host the competition. Others will be used for training by the participating teams.
Get hooked on Soccer
There is probably no quicker way to “break the ice” with the South African man on the street than striking a conversation about soccer.
When in South Africa squeeze a Soweto Derby somewhere within your stay here. This is the country’s most talked about clash. It is the meeting of South Africa’s most feared soccer giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. Whether they are playing for a cup, league points or merely a friendly match there is always no love lost between the teams and their supporters. According to urban legend this clash is the major cause for South Africa’s sport related divorces.
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