OPINION: Let’s cut Bafana some slack 

Sometimes as soccer fans we tend to turn a blind eye to positive things that are happening within our respective teams and  are always quick to throw out negative remarks when things are looking bad.

READ MORE: Sudan stun Ghana, but what does that mean for Bafana Bafana?

This opinion peace was highly motivated by the negativity that Bafana Bafana were on the end of following their 4-2 victory over São Tomé in the second leg of their Group C 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Monday.

I really don’t understand why some football fans are so quick to judge a team, but always drag their feet when they have to congratulate them for their efforts.

I mean, Bafana did the business in their last two ties against São Tomé by ensuring that they got the six points and as South Africans we should be really rallying behind the team.

Sure, they might have found it hard to win the second match, but what is important is that they went on and got a victory.

And trust me,  if it was a Bafana team from a couple of years ago I’m not really certain if we would have been able to register those wins.

Scoring those two late goals says something about the mindset of the boys. They go out there and play to win. They squandered some  great chances in that game, but it’s not like they were playing against an open net, it’s football, it happens.

I’ve seen some of the best countries in the world struggle against your so-called minnows.

Thing is, we have to accept that football is unpredictable and can be very cruel.

And, as much as we want to see our respective teams doing their best, we know that at some point things won’t go our team’s way.

Let me take this to South America when a star-studded Argentina lost 6-1 to Bolivia in 2009, a game I remember vividly with its headlines because the incredible Lionel Messi was in that Argentine squad.

No, there is no time to argue about the different Messi in his national team colours and in the Barcelona strip.

I believe football is football and one should be able to perform at their best anywhere if they are considered the best. But when it is not your day it is just that things won’t go your way even against low-ranked teams.

Let me bring it closer to home, just last year, Ivory Coast were dealt a shocking defeat by Ethiopia in the Afcon qualifiers.

Ethiopia, also considered minnows managed to beat an Ivory Coast side 2-1 that boats a number of high profile players.

So, I don’t really blame Bongani Zungu for what he said on social media, it might have came across as arrogant to others, but he has a point.

If they lose, you guys complain, they win, you guys still complain.

That’s not how it works. Let’s rally behind Bafana Bafana and give them the full support in their quest to qualify for the Afcon with the last two games against Ghana and Sudan.

For now, let’s celebrate that coach Molefi Ntseki’s troops were able to register those wins.

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