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Who are they, these masked superheroes of the Afcon soccer tournament and, it seems, Bafana Bafanas lucky charms? These anonymous Durban fans in their colourful outfits have the attention of the cameras at Moses Mabhida Stadium and, as Bafanas performance improves, so do their costumes. Pictured below, how they appeared last Wednesday and, above, with added extras on Saturday. With the national side now through to the knockout stage, the big questions is: what will they wear next? Pictures: Steve Haag and Doctor Ngcobo
Kevin Lancaster
Gordon Igesund and Bafana Bafana love playing in Durban, and the national coach would not have picked any other city as their base for the Africa Cup of Nations.
“When I was asked where I would like to go, I never hesitated to choose Durban,” said Igesund from the team’s hotel on the beachfront yesterday.
“One, I am a Durban boy, and, two, we perform well here,” he said, with the boys in green and gold giving their coach reason to tout the city as their hunting ground of choice.
With their win over Angola and draw against Morocco in the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Bafana have qualified for the knockout stages of Afcon for the first time in 12 years, and have finished first in their group.
According to Igesund, the key to their table-topping performances is their love affair with Durban, which will hopefully continue with their quarter-final match (and semi-final) to be played in the city’s iconic stadium.
Igesund also praised local supporters for getting behind the team.
“The fans here are passionate and love the game. Supporters from Joburg also love coming to Durban,” he said.
“Now that we have qualified (for the quarter-finals), there is belief. The character the guys showed… there is a belief now.”
The new-found belief Igesund spoke of was evident yesterday, with Spar stores packed with Bafana fans queueing to buy tickets for Saturday’s quarter-final.
Chris Murch, the manager of the Spar on Avondale Road, said customers had queued from 5.40am to buy tickets when they opened their doors at 7am.
Unfortunately, because of the high demand, the store had run out of the paper the tickets are printed on by noon.
Customers continued to buy ticket vouchers that would book their seat for the match and allow them to collect their ticket during the week once the paper was replenished.
There was a similar situation at Glenwood Spar, where the sole ticketing machine ran out of paper at 11am following the sale of 400 tickets in the few hours that the shop was open.
Although the rush for tickets was testament to the resurgent confidence in Bafana, it was not all smiles for those involved.
Glenwood Spar owner Steffi Steffen said it was not ideal that fans were turned away as it left people disappointed.
Bafana were given a well-deserved rest yesterday, with the players taking time off before they prepare for their biggest game yet, against Mali in Durban at 8.30pm on Saturday. 8P712
