After Bafana Bafana lost their first match to Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Rugby World Cup-winning captain of the Springboks, Siya Kolisi, and prop, Trevor Nyakane, got behind the boys with a few words of support and encouragement.
The South African national soccer team is currently in the West African country of Ivory Coast (also known as Côte d’Ivoire) for this year’s AFCON. Unfortunately, in the opening match, the team lost 2-0 but have another chance to score a few goals when they battle it out on the field against the neighbouring country of Namibia on Sunday, 21 January.
After their defeat, Siya and Trevor – who currently play for the French rugby team Racing 92 – took to social media to relay a message of support to the boys.
Starting off with a classic Bafana Bafana supporters’ song mentioning previous iconic players Mark Fish, Helman Mkhalele, Doctor Khumalo, Siya then said, “Bafana Bafana, we just wanted to remind you who has worn those jerseys before you. Those were the glory years of our country, those were the glory years of our team. I still believe we can turn it around.”
He continued, “We want to wish you all the best for AFCON. The whole country is behind you. We support and love you. You are a team that has carried the nation in so many ways. Please just give everything you can and things will turn around.”
Trevor also shared a few postive words, saying, “Siya said it all. We just want to wish you good luck, and I know it’s not easy, but we believe in you guys. We believe that you can turn this whole thing around and do us proud. So, go out there, enjoy yourselves and play as hard as you can. Thank you gents.”
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