Amajita's African conquest underlines the healthy state of SA soccer

Daily Maverick

21-05-2025

Although Amajita conquered Africa for the first time to underline how well the country is doing at the moment, there remains much untapped potential due to poor administration.
South Africa's soccer sphere is currently in the best shape that it has been in a long time. The latest example is the Under-20 men's team winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt.
Amajita – as the team is colloquially known – beat Morocco 1-0 to be crowned U20 African champions for the first time on 18 May. Mamelodi Sundowns starlet Gomolemo Kekana scored the sole goal as South Africa soared to the summit of the continent's age-group soccer.
The historic victory came 28 years after South Africa lost the final of the same tournament, to none other than Morocco. Coincidentally, that 1990s period saw South Africa re-announce itself to world soccer with aplomb, after a lengthy exclusion from international tournaments due to apartheid.
Bafana Bafana (the senior men's side) won the 1996 Afcon, then a year later the juniors reached the final, only to be vanquished by the Moroccans. Almost three decades later, a similar set of events has taken place.
Upward trajectory
In 2024, Bafana Bafana claimed their first Afcon medal in more than two decades, winning bronze in Ivory Coast. This was after a period where they sometimes could not even qualify for the tournament, despite being one of the teams with the best financial resources on the continent.
A year later, this crop of under-20s has not only reached the final, like the class of 1997, but they avenged the 1-0 defeat suffered by a team consisting of players such as Benni McCarthy, Matthew Booth, Daniel Mudau and Stanton Fredericks.
Speaking on Tuesday, 20 May, during a welcome press conference for the under-20s held at OR Tambo Airport, South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan highlighted just how well South African sides had done over the past few years.
This includes Bafana Bafana qualifying for back-to-back Afcons, while Banyana Banyana head into the women's Afcon as defending champions in July. South Africa has also qualified for the African Nations Championship (Chan) – a continental competition exclusively for players based in their home countries.
'Our teams have shown incredible performances in recent times. We have our under-17s and under-20s going to the World Cup. We have the Chan team, which has qualified for Chan after 12 years. We have Bafana Bafana going to the Afcon in Morocco, we have Banyana Banyana going to the Afcon in Morocco,' Jordaan said.
'All of our teams have performed very well. Of course, we are also waiting [to watch] Mamelodi Sundowns in the final of the African Champions League this weekend. Then, in June, we will see Mamelodi Sundowns playing the Club World Cup in the US. Overall, we are very happy. South African football is doing very well – our achievements speak for themselves,' said Jordaan.
Solid foundation
A key component of the national teams' success is former Safa technical director Walter Steenbok. He joined the national association in 2022, but departed earlier this year because of unhappiness with the working environment within Safa House.
However, the programmes and stylistic ideals which he implemented (particularly at junior level) during his tenure are bearing fruit for the country.
Steenbok, who influenced the appointment of under-20 coach Raymond Mdaka and his technical team in 2024, believes South Africa would be in an even better space if Safa functioned properly and was not plagued by constant administrative issues.
'What you're seeing now is not a true reflection of what we can do. South Africa has better talent, quality and facilities [than almost everyone in Africa]. But we are only operating at 30% because many things are not in place. That has been my biggest fight,' Steenbok was quoted as saying by News24.
'Can you imagine what we would look like if we had 60% of our structures working? No one would compete [with us].'
Diski Challenge
Despite Safa sleeping at the wheel, programmes such as the DStv Diski Challenge (which serves as the Premier Soccer League's reserve competition and provides the youngsters of the Premiership with weekly competitive soccer) are important for preparing junior players for such tournaments.
'We are incredibly proud of Amajita. This remarkable achievement underscores the impact that grassroots development initiatives, such as our DStv Diski Challenge, play in unearthing and nurturing exceptional football talent,' said Rendani Ramovha, CEO of SuperSport TV.
'With 18 of the players competing regularly in the Reserve League, the DDC has served as a crucial platform, providing young players with the competitive environment and exposure necessary to reach their full potential,' Ramovha said.
Wise words
This history-making achievement by the under-20s also has Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos excited about the future. The Belgian had words of wisdom for the African champions.
'Ascending to the top is easy, but staying at the top is so much more difficult. Everything starts now for you,' Broos said.
'You are at a crossroads where you can take the right direction and we see you back in the next months, next years – breaking into Bafana Bafana… Breaking into big South African teams, or even abroad. Or you can take the other way, which is the wrong way. So, it's up to you now,' the Belgian said.
The team will have some time to absorb this memorable victory before preparations for the World Cup kick off. The global showpiece takes place in Chile from late September and concludes in October. DM