South Africans hope this will be the start of something big, rather than the continuation of disappointment.
Last Sunday evening, South Africans celebrated as the South African national football team, Bafana Bafana, triumphed 2-1 over Libya to qualify for 2019 AFCON. The tournament will take place in Egypt late this year.
While it may seem odd to celebrate qualifying for a tournament, this is South Africa after all–a country that has experienced many disappointments over the years, especially when pressure is involved.
Most recently, the team was supposed to win both World Cup qualifiers against Senegal, but Bafana lost terribly in both matches. The outcome wasn’t due to talent or lack of depth. PRESSURE was the root cause.
Those who follow Bafana know that it has a tradition of winning when it matters least and losing when it matters most.
This time, though, the team managed to push pressure aside. They certainly did not play convincingly against Libya, but they got three points and played well enough to book a ticket to Egypt. The even better news is this: although Bafana finished as runner-up in its group, the team didn’t lose a single match in the group qualifiers–despite having to go up against the powerhouse of African football–Nigeria.
