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South Africa made history by reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time, yet arguably it was a feat that should have happened sooner as the country staged the tournament in 2010.
When Sifiwe Tshabalala put Bafana Bafana ahead in the opening game against Mexico 16 years ago, his strike was hailed by a TV commentator as “the goal for all of Africa”.
It proved to be a false dawn, as the team were eliminated on goal difference despite a 1-1 draw and defeated France in their final. They became the first World Cup hosts to fail to get out of their group and missed a glorious opportunity.
But the failure to capitalize on those finals – the first held in Africa – went further with Cape Town-based sports journalist Mark Gleeson describing domestic football as “a bit dormant” since 2010.
“There was a lot of excitement in the build-up, and obviously, around 2010, but then everything died down a bit, combined with the economic downturn,” he told the BBC World Service.
“There’s not a lot of sponsors in the domestic game. There’s not a lot of money floating around.”
South Africa finally returned to the World Cup this year, with the national team also missing out on the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 2012, 2017 and 2021 during that poor spell.
However, both the domestic scene and Bafana Bafana have shown signs of life in recent years.
Mamelodi Sundowns won the African Club Champions in 2016 and Claimed their second continental crown in May After being runners-up last year.
“The national team qualified for the World Cup (and) winning the Sundowns African Champions League was a huge boost for the country,” added Gleeson.
“Hopefully this is the start of a new era for South Africa, maybe 16 years too late. That’s how it should have been in 2010.”
