Embracing Soccer in South Africa

I’m not going to pretend that I am a huge soccer fan. Don’t get me wrong, like every sport, soccer has its moments of excitement. And I have certainly followed World Cup action since I lived in France for the 1998 World Cup. But I’ll take college basketball and March Madness any day over a game that can last nearly two hours, end with a score of 0-0, and then be decided by 5 penalty kicks (or less) per side.

But as I am living in a place where soccer is THE sport, I am willing to embrace the culture and cheer for the home team. As luck would have it, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament is being hosted this year by none other than South Africa (originally scheduled to be in Libya, but that didn’t work out so well), so this past weekend, I had the chance to head to Durban and see Bafana Bafana take on Mali (and lose) in the Quarterfinals.

Since this was my first time in Durban, I wanted a chance to see a few sites, so I left Friday just after teaching and met up with a couple of other volunteers at a small backpackers just outside the downtown area. On my walk to the backpackers from the taxi rank, I passed by Durban High School – and I now know what I want to do when I am done with my service – teach at this school. But as the goal for the weekend was not to find a job, I simply made a mental note and carried on. Friday night gave us a chance to eat out, catch-up, and share stories from the first two weeks of teaching. Saturday was a beautiful day of sightseeing, talking to locals, shopping at some local markets, and even seeing a movie (Les Miserables) at an actual movie theatre! And we still had the game to go! To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, but I told myself I was ready for anything. We headed to the stadium almost two and a half hours early, partly because we wanted to get there before dark, and partly because we were not sure if there was going to be some sort of “pre-game” worth attending. Turns out that South African’s don’t tailgate the way we do in America (or perhaps we just didn’t go to the right places) but it was nice to have a chance to walk around the whole stadium, get our faces painted, buy some souvenirs, and get settled before play began. The vuvuzelas were out in full force from start to finish, but they were of no use in the end. South Africa lost to Mali in a shoot-out and the somber crowd slowly filed out to the streets.

AFCON Quarter-Finals: South Africa v Mali
2 February 2013
Durban, South Africa

I headed home early the next morning, sad to leave the big city, but excited to have had a chance to meet up with others and share in a cultural experience of a different type. Hoping to return to Durban sooner rather than later. And hoping to see another live soccer match before I return to America – definitely a more exciting experience in person on a continent that loves the game the way it was intended to be loved.