The Politics of South African Football

Book excerpt: The Politics of South African Football is the story of people whose vehement resistance and declaration that there could be no normal sport in an abnormal society proved to be a powerful antidote to the apartheid governments assurances that all was well. Oshebeng Alphie Koonyaditse gives an inspiring account of the event-filled journey that led to that memorable Saturday of May 15, 2004. For the first time in World Cup history South Africa, and indeed Africa, won the right to host the nations of the world at the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Yet, South African football history began long before that, and in fact goes back to before the formation of FIFA in 1904.