Football first arrived in South Africa through colonialism in the late nineteenth century, as the game was popular among British soldiers.
From the earliest days of the sport in South Africa until the end of apartheid, organised football was affected by the country's system of racial segregation.
The all-white South African Football Association (SAFA), was formed in 1892.
While the South African Indian Football Association (SAIFA), the South African Bantu Football Association (SABFA) and the South African Coloured Football Association (SACFA) were founded in 1903, 1933 and 1936 respectively.
However, it should also be noted that football was played widely outside this federations were became formalized.
The original South African Football Association was established in 1892 and became affiliated to FIFA in 1910.
According to soccer history records, the SAFA of 1892 was the first association on the African continent to become affiliated to FIFA.
SAFA withdrew from FIFA in 1924 and later regained full membership in 1952.
In 1932, the South African African Football Association (SAAFA) was formed and a year later the South African Bantu Football Association (SABFA) and the South African Coloured Football Association (SACFA) followed suit. In September 1951, the three merged to form the anti-apartheid South African Soccer Federation (SASF).
SAFA were expected to play in the newly formed Confederation of African Football's 1957 Africa Cup of Nations, however they did not. The minutes of the meetings between SAFA and their counterparts from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan were lost to fire and so the official reason for their non-appearance is unknown.
Fred Fell, SAFA's representative at FIFA said that SAFA withdrew because of the conflict at the Suez Canal. There were are also rumours that they were expelled from the initial competition due to their favourable stance on apartheid.
In November 1954, the SASF attempted to join FIFA. In May 1955, FIFA concluded that SAFA does not have "the standing of a real national association" because it did not control all clubs, there were more clubs and players with SASF than SAFA. SASF's application was rejected because there were no white players. In 1956, FIFA chose to accept SAFA's stance that segregation was a "tradition and custom" in South Africa.
The South African Football Association were renamed to the Football Association of South Africa (FASA) in 1957. The newly renamed association also removed a clause from its constitution excluding non-whites. In his book African Soccerscapes, Professor Peter Alegi says this was to "create the perception of substantive change while maintaining the status quo".
In 1959, the SASF successfully managed to have a FIFA sanctioned game between Brazilian club Portuguesa Santista and white South Africa cancelled, as the Brazilian club had agreed to withdraw its black players from the game. The SASF had complained to the Brazilian consul in Cape Town, the Brazilian government prevented the club from taking part.
At FIFA's 1960 Congress in Rome, there were calls from the Soviet bloc and Asia for the South African Soccer Federation (SASF) to become a member of FIFA in place of FASA. The calls were rejected as FIFA's own statutes stated that "a National Association must be open to all who practice football in that country whether amateur, 'non-amateur', or professional and without any racial, religious, political discrimination".
In September 1961, FASA were suspended from FIFA because of their pro-apartheid stance and refusal to field non-white players. Also, in 1961 the white-South Africa sympathiser Stanley Rous was elected as FIFA President. Rous and United States citizen Joseph Maguire would later visit white South African officials for two weeks. Rous reported to FIFA that there was no wilful discrimination within FASA and on the basis of his report, FASA were allowed back in to FIFA in September 1963.
At the Tokyo Congress, the Confederation of African Football members were lobbying for the expulsion of the FASA unless its "obnoxious apartheid policy [was] totally eliminated". They had retained the support of Soviet and Asian National Associations and held meetings with South African Soccer Federation in Durban and the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee in London. CAF had already expelled South Africa from its own membership. The request for expulsion from FIFA was downgraded to suspension and it was passed by a majority of associations at the 1964 FIFA Congress.
Following the suspension, South Africa were also not allowed to partake in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and were expelled from the Olympic movement in 1970. During this time Rous had been lobbying to have South Africa re-instated into FIFA and the Olympics. In 1973, Brazilian FIFA President candidate Joao Havelange withdrew Brazil from the 1973 South African Games to curry favour with the anti-apartheid national associations and went to beat Rous in the FIFA Presidential Election. At the FIFA Congress on 16 July 1976 in Montreal, FASA were formally suspended from FIFA. Members of FIFA had voted to exclude South Africa 78 votes to 9.
The South African Football Association was founded on 8 December 1991, the culmination of a long unity process that was to rid the sport in South Africa of all its past racial division.
A delegation of the SAFA received a standing ovation at the congress of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) inDakar, Senegal a month later, where South Africa were accorded observer status. South Africa’s membership of the world governing body FIFA was confirmed at their congress in Zurich in June 1992.
Membership of CAF followed automatically and South Africa was back on the world stage, and were awarded the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Within a month the country hosted their first international match as World Cup quarterfinalists Cameroon came to play in three matches to celebrate the unity process. In September 1992, South Africa played its first junior international againstBotswana at under-16 level in Lenasia and to date the country has entered a team in each of FIFA's and CAF's competitions, from under-17 to national team level, and also for the women’s team.
In the short space of six years, SAFA has achieved remarkable success with qualification for the World Cup finals in Francein 1998, the title of African champions at the 1996 African Nations Cup finals, which the country hosted, and the runners-up berth in Burkina Faso two years later.
At under-20 level, South Africa were runners-up at the 1997 African Youth Championship in Morocco and qualified to play at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia.
At club level, Orlando Pirates won the prestigious African Champions Cup in 1995, the first club from the southern African region to take the title in more than 30 years of competition. Pirates were playing in the event for the first time and won the title away from home in the Ivory Coast to further amplify the magnificence of the victory.
Behind the scenes, SAFA has worked long and hard to provide the structures to take football to all levels of the South African community. There are now national age-group competitions from under-12 level up, qualified coaches working around the country and nine provincial affiliates, who are further divided into 52 regions.
The current national executive of SAFA consists of:
President: Dr Danny Jordaan
Vice-President: Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana
Vice-President: Mandla 'Shoes' Mazibuko
Vice-President: Dr Irvin Khoza
Secretary General: Leslie Sidibe
And the national teams include:
Under-12 (Tsetse-flies)
Under-15 (Flying Birds)
Under-17 (Amajimbos)
Under-20 (Amajita)
Under-23 (Amaglug-glug)
Senior National Team (Bafana Bafana)
Under-17 Women
Under-20 Women
Under-23 Women
Senior Women's National Team (Banyana Banyana)
Regions:
SAFA's 9 Provinces and 52 Regions
SAFA Eastern Cape (Regions: Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Cacadu, Chris Hani, Nelson Mandela Bay, OR Tambo, Ukhahlamba)
SAFA Free State (Regions: Fezile Dabi, Lejweleputswa, Motheo, Thabo Mofutsanyana, Xhariep)
SAFA Gauteng (Regions: Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Metsweding, Sedibeng, Tshwane, West Rand)
SAFA KwaZulu-Natal (Regions: Amajuba, Ethekwini, iLembe, Sisonke, Ugu, Umgungundlovu, Umkhanyakude, Umzinyathi, Uthukela, Uthungulu, Zululand)
SAFA Mpumalanga (Regions: Ehlanzeni, Gert Sibande, Nkangala)
SAFA Northern Cape (Regions: Frances Baard, Kgalagadi, Namakwa, Pixley-Ka-Seme, Siyanda)
SAFA Limpopo (Regions: Capricorn, Mopani, Sekhukhune, Vhembe, Waterberg)
SAFA North-West (Regions: Bojanala, Bophirima, Central, Southern)
SAFA Western Cape (Regions: Boland, Cape Town, Central Karoo, Eden, Overberg, West Coast).
Meanwhile, in 2003 AMOS MANANYETSO reported in the CITY PRESS newspaper that barely a year after their return to football, sweet and chocolate giant Cadbury are not regretting their move to sponsor the United School Sport Association of South Africa (Ussasa) as they are on their way to rewriting the history books.
The Chappies Little League, which was relaunched this year with a R3 million per year sponsorship, surpassed the initial target to register about 2 500 primary schools around the country and amassed 6 023 schools.
As a result of that early success, veteran sports sponsorship consultant Geoff Wald flew to London this week to register the tournament with the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest soccer tournament ever.
The current record-holder listed by the Guinness Book of Records is a tournament held in South Korea that drew 5 000 teams.
"The response by schools was overwhelming and it gives us courage to think what we can do to expand and cover almost every school-going kid in the country," said Wald.
Chappies brand marketing manager Moshe Kola said his company was delighted at the overwhelming success of the competition and were looking at expanding next year's event.
"When we signed the contract with Ussasa, our target was to reach at least 2 500 of the 18 000 primary schools in the country and grow gradually with time. What happened is like a miracle.
"That is why we want to register the tournament in the Guinness Book of Records . If our registration is accepted, not only will it make us and Ussasa proud, but mostly the children who kicked the ball during the games," said Kola.
Kola said his company was looking at involving the girls when the school soccer season began next year or launching a regional tournament that will include winners from South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland.
Ussasa soccer secretary and SA Football Association/Transnet Sport School of Excellence manager Steve Pila was also excited about the latest developments.
"This is a confirmation that South Africa is one of the best footballing nations in the world.
"The Chappies Little League is not a new concept and we all know its successes during the 1980s before it was terminated ," Pila said.
Among top players who once played in the tournament are Junaid Hartley, Thabo Mooki and Brian Baloyi. - SOURCE: CITY PRESS SPORT
In 1991, when the apartheid system was beginning to be demolished, a new multi-racial South African Football Association was formed, and admitted to FIFA. On 7 July 1992, the South African national team played their first game in two decades, beating Cameroon 1–0. Since the integration of the country, it has developed the most sophisticated Professional Football Structure in Africa, the Premier Soccer League. South Africa qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, but failed to progress past the group stage both times. They hosted (and won) the 1996 African Cup of Nations and hosted the 2010 World Cup, the first African nation to do so.
