And with South Africa hosting the showpiece again, we take a trip down memory lane and look back at how Bafana Bafana beat the continent’s best to lift the trophy at Soccer City.
Bafana came into the competition on the back of some good form in the Simba Cup (a draw and two wins) and a morale boosting goalless draw against World Cup ’94 quarter-finalists Germany. And, with their rugby counterparts doing the nation proud [in winning the World Cup in 1995], the pressure was on to deliver in their first African adventure.
And deliver they did, putting to the sword a Cameroon side featuring a young Rigobert Song, beating the west Africans 3-0 in the opening game. Bafana went on to win their second group game against Angola by a solitary goal, but were quickly brought back down to earth, losing 1-0 to Egypt.
Despite the loss, they still qualified top of their group on goal-difference, avoiding rampant Group B winners Zambia. Their quarter-final opponents were Algeria, who they narrowly beat 2-1.
The dangerous Black Stars of Ghana lay next for Clive Barker and his boys but, inspired by John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu, they thumped the west Africans 3-0 to book their place in the Final.
The rest, as they say, is history as Bafana defeated Tunisia 2-0 thanks to a brace from second half substitute Mark Williams, resulting in the most famous of scenes as Neil Tovey received the trophy from President Nelson Mandela.
1996 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
GROUP A
Saturday, 13 January 1996
Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
South Africa (2) 3 (P Masinga 14 Williams 37 Moshoeu 55)
Cameroon 0
Ref: Said Belqoba (Morocco)
SA: (4-4-2) Andre Arendse - Sizwe Motaung, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey (capt), David Nyathi - Doctor Khumalo, Eric Tinkler, Linda Buthelezi (Helman Mkhalele 58th), John Moshoeu - Mark Williams (Shaun Bartlett 70th), Phil Masinga (August Makalakalane 82nd)
Coach: Clive Barker
Saturday, 20 January 1996
Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
South Africa (0) 1 (Williams 57)
Angola 0
Ref: Ferid Boucetta (Tunisia)
Cautions: P Masinga, Joni
SA: (4-4-2) Andre Arendse - Sizwe Motaung, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey (capt), David Nyathi - Doctor Khumalo (Lucas Radebe 76th), Eric Tinkler, Linda Buthelezi (Helman Mkhalele 71st), John Moshoeu - Mark Williams (Shaun Bartlett 88nd), Phil Masinga
Coach: Clive Barker
Wednesday, 24 January 1996
Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
South Africa 0
Egypt (1) 1 (El Kass 7)
Ref: Lucien Bouchardeau (Niger)
Cautions: Tovey, Mkhalele, Bartlett; Maher
SA: (4-4-2) Andre Arendse - Sizwe Motaung, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey (capt), David Nyathi - August Makalakalane (John Moshoeu 39th), Eric Tinkler, Lucas Radebe (Zane Moosa 76th), Helman Mkhalele - Mark Williams, Phil Masinga (Shaun Bartlett 71st)
Coach: Clive Barker
Quarter-final
Saturday, 27 January 1996
Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
South Africa (0) 2 (Fish 72 Moshoeu 85)
Algeria (0) 1 (Lazizi 84)
Ref: Ali Bujsaim (United Arab Emirates)
Cautions: Radebe, P Masinga; Lazizi, El Ouazani, Hamdani
SA: (4-4-2) Andre Arendse - Sizwe Motaung, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey
(capt), Lucas Radebe - Doctor Khumalo (Helman Mkhalele 79th), Eric Tinkler, Linda Buthelezi, John Moshoeu - Mark Williams (Shaun Bartlett 76th), Phil Masinga
Coach: Clive Barker
Semi-final
Wednesday, 31 January 1996
Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
South Africa (1) 3 (Moshoeu 22, 87 Bartlett 46)
Ghana 0
Ref: Gamal El Ghandour (Egypt)
Cautions: Tinkler, Khumalo; Johnson
Dismissal: Lamptey 85
SA: (4-4-2) Andre Arendse - Sizwe Motaung, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey
(capt), Lucas Radebe - Doctor Khumalo, Eric Tinkler, Linda Buthelezi (John Moeti 76th), John Moshoeu - Mark Williams, Shaun Bartlett (Daniel Mudau 84th)
Coach: Clive Barker
Final
Saturday, 3 February 1996
Venue: Soccer City, Johannesburg
South Africa (0) 2 (Williams 72, 74)
Ref.: Charles Massembe (Uganda)
Cautions: Buthelezi; Jaballah, Hanini
SA: (4-4-2) Andre Arendse - Sizwe Motaung, Mark Fish, Neil Tovey
(capt), Lucas Radebe - Doctor Khumalo, Eric Tinkler, Linda Buthelezi (Helman Mkhalele 51st), John Moshoeu - Shaun Bartlett, Phil Masinga (Mark Williams 65th)
Coach: Clive Barker
Your comments on this story...
a Sangoma saw darkness on national radio
a prophet saw darkness on national radio
Critics are also seeing elimination in group stages
but there is this group of Chiefs stupid fans who are only supporting because they have 7 players in the national team. These are hypocrites of note by tomorrow they wil be insulting Gordon.
Dean Furman
-English 3rd division star
-Cannot sing South African National Anthem
-His club is fighting relegation
In Gordon we trust
SOUTH AFRICA IS READY....now let's put favoritism aside pls and support the chosen one....only sports can make us unite and conquer destruction in our country....pls pirates,sundowns and chiefs let's do dat 4 de sake of inity...\"We've come a long way\\"...may GOD of grace and love pls help our beloved nation
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Sorry , \" muntu ndini!!!
I cannot support favouritism team. Your partner in crime GI has waisted a lot of time selecting \" so called\" Kaizer chips players , which they have archive nothing in last four years. The country is blessed with talent - hence our critism.
Now on eleventh hour he want to reshuffle his trusted 11 , why?
He regret why Matlaba was not throw in deep end despite his good showing at Pirates, confused as you,he now shift Parka to left , cause his trusted Shabba is showing his true colors.
His midfield is just \" rigid\" including that talk about Yeye , nx!
I always get immotional knowing that the is George at SSU and J15 at Pirates , with Teko at Sdowns being ignored.
\" voetsek , wena nalo GI , wakho\"
Lord Viny, come out and play............
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Did you think I was just gonna keep quite? Here am I. Ready to take you to the morgue. Yesterday you fled the scene as I was about to gourge your eyeballs and skull-f*ck you. Asambe ke zebra, take your best shot
Simphiwe Tshabalala
-Scored 1 World Cup goal, 39 shots after that goal, 0 on target
-At age 27 went for trial at Crystal Palace (English 2nd division club) and failed.
-Again, went for trails at Nottingham Forrest (English 2nd division club) and failed.
-Made a defense splitting back pass resulting in the sacking of Pitso Mosimane
In Gordon we trust
Bongani Khumalo
-Signed for Tottenham in 2010.
-Made 0 EPL appearances
-Loaned out twice
-Still loaned out
-South African Captain
In Gordon we trust
I wonder what is happening in this country? We more especially blacks in SA, we love politics and out of our mouth its always stones of words, insulting each other and cursing each instead of supporting our national team. Am a sundowns supporter am not happy that Teko is not there and i believe he is way better than Chabangu, and am not happy that Jali is not there because i believe he is better than KG and Furman combined but still am 100% behind bafana bafana. I don't care even if they play all Kaizer chiefs players in that national team, they will be playing for SA not kaizer chiefs and i believe those chiefs supporters who have been mocking others and boasting about the number of their players in our national team will grow up. Guys what is done is done and there is nothing we can do to undo it, lets get over all these politics and support bafana bafana.
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So what you basically saying here is that what is done is done and we should stop demanding the absoloute best and rally behind the absoloute worst?
It's because of people like you we will go no where as a country. It's people that make sure people like Zuma remain in power. It's people like you that accept that people should matriculate with marks as low as 30% and then say a pass is a pass. Unfortunately for you some us apply our minds. We don't let clueless people dictate to us how we must think or what we must do.
How can you expect us to pour our emotion and support for a team that has its hopes jolted on a winger that has failed repeatedly? You think we have time to praise and perpetuate mediocrity. We are taking a stand! We have foresight and so far we are yet to be proven wrong
What impact has Thulani Serero, Tsepo Masilela, and Ketlego Mphela made in their respective clubs during the 2012/13 season?
Thulani Serero
-No impact made. He was injured throughout.
Tsepo Masilela
-No Impact made. Was injured throughout.
Katlego Mphela
-Little impact made. Injured throughout.
In Gordon we trust
Yellow I remain
@Treble Champ king
I get your points mabhakabhaka and am not going to lie to you and say am happy with the likes of Shabba, Chabangu, Furman, KG and Khumalo, and honestly i believe GI don't really want Pirates players because of what you did to him at Mayfair and at Sundowns he was sacked because players didn't like his style of play second season when he was with us, that is why he tried even Luvhengo Mungomeni. In all that champs i still believe we need to support but when he fails we fire him thats all.
Guys we know u dont trust Gordon, but lets not pull such tactics, was this Gordon secret or not showing a hand by bribing dis-able Chiefs fans to stone Cape Verde's bus.
i know some of us are not happy with the way things are going at our national team. most complaints have been regarding our team selection. i'm also not convinced about it, but it does'nt stop me from supporting OUR national team.
our countries problems regarding football are way deeper then we make them out to be.
so please fellow football lovers lets not use team selection as a scape-goat to our problems.
Bafana Bafana ayeye!
SOUTH AFRICA IS READY....now let's put favoritism
aside pls and support the chosen one....only sports can
make us unite and conquer destruction in our
country....pls pirates,sundowns and chiefs let's do dat 4
de sake of inity...\"We've come a long way\\"
.......................................................................................................
I'm with you man in this one
I wonder what is happening in this country? We more especially blacks in SA, we love politics and out of our mouth its always stones of words, insulting each other and cursing each instead of supporting our national team. Am a sundowns supporter am not happy that Teko is not there and i believe he is way better than Chabangu, and am not happy that Jali is not there because i believe he is better than KG and Furman combined but still am 100% behind bafana bafana. I don't care even if they play all Kaizer chiefs players in that national team, they will be playing for SA not kaizer chiefs and i believe those chiefs supporters who have been mocking others and boasting about the number of their players in our national team will grow up. Guys what is done is done and there is nothing we can do to undo it, lets get over all these politics and support bafana bafana.
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Well said brother and I hope all bloggers of this site were like you. We are sick and tired of Chiefs versus Piorates, they must have a go at each other when the durby is playing and leave that shallow mindset after winning or loosing, now we are talking about the country and not a team.
All the best for Bafana Bafana.
I just cant wait to see Shabba,Parker,Yeye,Khumalo,Majoro,Khune embarrassing the nation again.
My only problem is Nematendani, he was brought back to fix these games. i hope Fifa is watching him and his crew.
eish Sangweni should have faked an injury because in all fairness, without him, this defence is nothing.
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Member it such mentality that affects the SA team to failure. Sure chiefs are our rivals but in the national team it we nust put the rival mentality aside and support our country and trust in the team that has been selected. we all have our different choice of players. e.g dumisa ngobe, john moeti, jackson williams, papi khomane, brandon silent, thabo mongomeni, dumisa ngobe, steve lekoelea and sibusiso zuma. The squad was dominated by Pirates players and there were only 3 or 2 players from chiefs, sundowns and other teams. that team ended in the final. that was the couches choice of players (jomo sono). If GI thinks that chiefs have quality players to deliver in the afcon as the squad now it is dominated by chiefs players, let it be and let us support him and be behind them for the country.
As from 19/01/2013 -10/02/2013 im a bafana fen. after that EZIMNYAMA NGENKANI!