Bafana Bafana arrived Lagos in October 1992 looking like school boys on holidays only to be frightened by big brothers, Super Eagles, in the very first international soccer match between South Africa and Nigeria. It ended in a 4-0 humiliation by the hosts.
Bafana Bafana is Swahili for ‘the boys the boys’ and beyond the drubbing, South Africans left the National Stadium in tears following what they described as salt to injury when a wrong national anthem was played by the Nigeria Police Band. Africa National Congress [ANC] Representative in Nigeria, George Nene, did not hide his disappointment.
The Eagles went ahead in the first half through Richard Owubokiri. That goal said a lot. The Portugal based player was overlooked severally by Clemens Westerhof until the media cried blue murder. The superstar had made waves in Brazil with Victoria, Bahia and topped the scorers’ chart. He did the same in Portugal.
The South Africans were lucky to escape the first stanza with a 1-0 deficit. Eleven minutes into the second half, Samson Siasia made it two. Then Rashidi Yekini got a brace to end proceedings 4-0. Owubokiri was withdrawn in the 78th minute for Taofik Malik. What Westerhof tried to achieve was that there were other strikers beyond the big name.
Back at their Sheraton hotel lodge, the South Africans were still protesting. Nene kept talking about the Boer anthem. He said:” This anthem identified Nigeria with apartheid, unfortunately. It was an attack on the black population. They are angry at home [South Africa] already, they watched it on TV. Nigeria supported the Liberation struggle only to play the wrong anthem. It was a mistake but it is quite ironic. They also used the wrong flag on TV for commercials.”
General Secretary of the South Africa Football Association [SAFA], Mothibi Ramusi, added that his countrymen wanted to hear the Zulu version of the official national anthem, ‘Nkosi Sikelela Africa’ [God look after us in Africa]. Another official, Sipho Kheswa, could not hold back his emotions. ‘ I can’t believe black brothers could do this to us,” he lamented.
Accompanying journalist, Mark Gleeson, was more interested in the performance of the Eagles. We had met in Lusaka, 1991, when Power Dynamos of Zambia dethroned BCC Lions as Africa Winners Cup champion. We exchanged T-shirts. Our next meeting was in Dakar during the Senegal ’92 Nations Cup. The white South African watched as Nigeria lost 2-1 to Ghana Black Stars.
As a lover of the Eagles, Gleeson was full of admiration for skipper Stephen Keshi and made what sounded like a prophecy. ” Keshi, is world class,” he said. ” I see him managing the Eagles in future. That prophecy came to pass. Skippo led the team to win the Nations Cup, in South Africa, in the next 21 years. In 2014, he took the Eagles to the World Cup.
Before Keshi took over, he had served as an assistant to another Dutchman, Johaness Bonfrere, at the Ghana/Nigeria 2000 Nations Cup. And that was the first time South Africa would meet Nigeria in AFCON. The Eagles defeated Bafana Bafana 2-0 in the semi-finals, thanks to Tijanni Babangida’s goals. Shaun Bartlett, won the Golden Booth for the losers with five goals at the end of the competition.
South Africa had won the Nations Cup as hosts in 1996. Defending champions, Nigeria, missed out due to international politics. While Nelson Mandela waited to receive the Eagles, General Sani Abacha ordered them to stay away. CAF banned Nigeria for two competitions. Bafana Bafana lost the crown to Pharaohs of Egypt at Burkina Faso ’98.
Bafana Bafana came again at Tunisia 2004. Super Eagles made them look more like toddlers. Joseph Yobo and Austin Okocha began the demolition before Osaze Odemwingie’s brace made it 4-0. That was in their group match. It confirmed the free fall of the 1996 winners. In 1998, they lost in the grand finale. In 2000, Bafana Bafana finished as semi-finalists. In 2002, they crashed out in the quarter -finals.
Losing to Nigeria 2-1 in Egypt only stamped Nigeria’s superiority. Weeping is the portion of the Boys from Azania. They are known more for the funny and high sounding names they brought to Nigeria in those early years. Their Coach, Stanley Tshabalala, bore the nickname, ‘Screamer’ and his name sounded reminded many of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
There were others like Augustine Makalakalane who once played in Switzerland, John Moshoeu, better known as ‘Shoes’ and the duo of Phil Masinga and Lucas Radebe who plied their trade in England. Eric Tinkler could not think out of the box in Lagos nor could Mark Fish catch fish in the lagoon. Doctor Khumalo nursed defeat all through.
Three times now, Bafana Bafana have faced the Eagles in AFCON, all three times they lost. And how funny it sounds that the first two losses also meant that victors, Nigeria, did not advance to win the cup. It happened in 2000 and repeated itself in 2004. And both tournaments saw the Super Eagles falling through penalty shoot-out.
Cameroon won 4-3 penalties in 2000, after a 2-2 tie, no thanks to dubious officiating by Tunisian referee, Mourad Daami, who dismissed Victor Ikpeba’s goal. His country had been battered 4-2 by Nigeria in one of the group games. In 2004, Tunisia beat Nigeria 4-3 penalties after a 1-1 result. It is interesting that the teams who beat Nigeria, Indomitable Lions and Carthage Eagles, went on to win the cup.
When Nigeria beat South Africa up north in Tunisia, Egypt and Zimbabwe were in the same group. And the Pharaohs beat the Warriors. That is exactly what happened in Egypt. When Eagles defeated Bafana Bafana in 2000, the referee was an Egyptian, Gamal Al-Ghandour. The day Eagles lost to Tunisia in 2004, the referee was Kofi Codja of Benin Republic.So it happened that Nigeria beat South Africa in Egypt the day Benin Republic got knocked out.
