SA team meets Mandela ahead of Brazil game

  1. Posted on Thursday 25 June 2009 - 10:06
    Sam Banda Junior
    Image of Sam Banda Junior
    Sam Banda Junior AfricaNews reporter in Blantyre, Malawi
    South Africa national football team met the country's first black president Nelson Mandela ahead of their Confederation Cup semi-final clash with Brazil on Thursday. Bafana Bafana, as they are known, moved into the semi finals after losing 0-2 to Spain but went through after Iraq drew with New Zealand.
    Mandela2010.jpg
    Brazil has not lost a game since the tournament kicked off.

    The team’s meeting with Mandela who is respected world over is expected to inspire them according to South Africa’s coach Joel Santana.

    Santana who wished his country all the best during the final said their meeting with Mandela will rejuvenate them to fight the Copa American side.

    "We got goose-bumps when we met Mandela, a supremely charismatic person, someone who is so calm, his presence and the way he spoke to us, made us calm," said Santana.

    Mandela who is 91 years old and will have his next birthday in July has always been a sportsman in his life.

    He is said to have always encouraged and inspired various sporting disciplines in the southern African country.

    According to a Reuters report, Mandela’s story of his interaction with the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning side, including wearing a Springboks jersey to the final, is being made into a film by Clint Eastwood.

    Each player for Bafana Bafana is said to have greeted Mandela who wished them all the best ahead of the do or die match.

    Bafana Bafana qualified for the semi final as runners up in Group A with four points having drawn with Iraq and beat New Zealand 2-0. Spain topped the group with nine points having also won all their games.

    Reports say that South Africa’s plan to feature a strong squad could be disrupted with the news of the injury of their key striker Bernard Parker.

    Parker is said to have a knee injury and has to pass a late fitness test.

    South Africa which is warming up for the 2010 World Cup has to gear up and stop Brazil’s talented players among them Kaka and Robinho.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive