Bafana Bafana's Lyle Foster and Rele Mofokeng are put through their paces at training. Lukhanyo Sithole argues that support for Bafana Bafana rivals that of the Springboks or Proteas, but commercial value is where SA is letting Bafana down.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media
In his June 8, 2026 column, IOL’s Michael Sherman writes that Bafana Bafana are not as well supported in South Africa as the Springboks and the Proteas.
Sherman writes: "Even if Bafana were to pull off a massive shock at the FIFA World Cup and progress beyond the group stage, it’s still unlikely they will command major support back home like anything in the same ballpark as the Springboks or Proteas.”
Michael Sherman appears to be mistaking the sporting preferences of the circles he moves in for the sporting preferences of South Africa as a whole. This is incorrect and exposes his lack of touch with reality in the South African sporting landscape. If you look at SuperSport's viewership figures, you'll quickly see that football remains the backbone of its audience.
In places like Sandton, or Fourways, Centurion, Boksburg, Hyde Park and Constantia you will find that people living there care very little about football because it’s not the sport they watch with their kids on weekends. It’s not the sport they watch their kids play, and names such as Siphiwe Tshabalala, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, and Jerry Skhosana don’t resonate with them.
In places like Vosloorus, Galvendale, Thembisa, Hluhluwe, Stanger, KwaDwesi (despite being the home of the Springbok captain) soccer remains the most popular sport. It’s the reality when for so many years, blacks were kept out of rugby and cricket by the people who ran this country. The belief that the Proteas and Springboks command larger support bases than Bafana Bafana ignores the demographic and cultural realities of post-1994 South Africa.
Here is an exercise: On any given day when the Springboks, Proteas and Bafana Bafana are playing, go to the busiest taxi rank, car wash or tshisa nyama and ask the locals to give you their opinions. Chances are they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between your Faf de Klerk and Faf du Plessis. But ask them their thoughts on why Hugo Broos keeps snubbing players from Lamthuthu FC, and you will be there for hours.
Now, where the Springboks and Proteas trump Bafana is the commercial value, and brands know this. Brands know that rugby and cricket fans are happier to spend thousands of rand just to watch their team play because they traditionally have deeper pockets compared to soccer fans. Why do you think that is?
I love the Springboks. I love Bafana equally because I am South African. I remember where I was standing inside Ellis Park when Werner Swanepoel scored two tries to beat the All Blacks in 2000. I also remember where I was when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored THAT goal in 2010.
Lukhanyo Sithole
* The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL.
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