It was July 7, 1992 that the national team stepped into the international arena with the first of three matches against Cameroon in a specially arranged celebratory tour.

South Africa won the first game and for a glorious 48 hours was the only unbeaten team in world football!

My belief is that, over the two subsequent decades, the positives outweigh the negatives and that for a country playing catch-up in so many ways, South Africa can be justifiably proud of its achievements.

It is also important for supporters to accept that South African soccer is never going to be of a World Cup-winning quality, unlike cricket and rugby that are far smaller sports, and where the country has always been a top quality contender.

The football community is the largest in world sport and with South Africa’s mid-sized population of some 50-million, combined with moderate resources, the reality is that this country will never be a soccer powerhouse.

By moderate resources I mean the lack of facilities at grass roots level, a paucity of quality people in administration and an inward looking attitude, which retards ambition. Plus the emphasis of how to play the game is wrong in South Africa.

Given that then, winning the Africa Cup of Nations once, finishing runners-up also and semifinalists on one other occasion, plus participating in three World Cups, is no mean feat.

South Africa should be a regular contender for honours in continental competition and consistently qualify for tournaments like the World Cup.

In world terms, Safa have set themselves a target of a consistent top-20 place in the Fifa rankings but that might be shooting too high. Top-30 would be an achievement, indeed a far cry from the lowly 60s where the team is languishing now.

Bafana Bafana have in two decades become a massive icon. Witness the mass adulation on the streets on the eve of the 2010 World Cup or the way the whole country took to wearing the shirt on a Friday.

Admittedly it has been frustrating to be a Bafana Bafana supporter, but there have been some exhilarating moments to celebrate since 1992.

It has been a team with a propensity for drama.
And there is always the potential that there will be more to come.

Where South African football has been let down is by the attitude of the Premier Soccer League and its clubs, whose insular vision has caught up with them.

Too concerned about monetary profit, the clubs have largely ignored international competition and now find themselves with a fancy league, all dressed up and tidily presented, but with no credibility because clubs tumble out of African competition at the first sign of danger.

This needs to change to prove to the players they can achieve on the continent and make them shoot for bigger rewards on the world stage.

n Betting this weekend features a variety of matches from far-flung leagues that again test the acumen of the punter.

But the payouts continue to be handsome, making testing your soccer knowledge well worth it.