South Africans Threat Against Stanley Nwabali Contradicts Nelson Mandela’s Legacy Of Using Sport To Unify, Rebuild South Africa ( OPINION)

By Isaac Asabor

If there is any trending news that made not a few sports lovers and peace loving Africans to be flabbergasted, it is unarguably that one that has it that Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, who plays for Chippa United in South Africa, has reportedly received threats from South African fans following his sterling performance against the country.

As gathered, the South African fans reportedly warned him against returning to his club after the AFCON.

Former Super Eagles international Idah Peterside made the disclosure of the threats while speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, stating that some fans have warned Nwabali not to go back to Chippa United in South Africa after the AFCON tournament.

While the threat has not been reported, it is believed that some South Africans are displeased with Nwabali’s role in preventing their team from reaching the finals.

Peterside said, “The biggest problem we have had is that we have gotten some messages where people have sent messages to the goalkeeper threatening him. I hear some people are telling him not to come back to South Africa since you didn’t want us to score. We have not heard of any violence, but just threats. They have been threatening him and threatening some people.”

The reason for the threat cannot be farfetched as Nwabali showcased his prowess during the semi-final clash against Bafana Bafana, making crucial saves during regulation time and stopping two penalties during the shootout.

Unfortunately, to not a few Africans that have a good understanding of how the late former President of South Africa in his lifetime used the power of sports to unify and rebuild the image of his nation, it will not be a misnomer for them to opine that South Africans threat against Stanley Nwabali contradicts Nelson Mandela’s legacy of using sport to unify and rebuild South Africa.

In fact, Mandela is widely recognized for his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, and thus was among the first global leaders to understand the potential of sport in generating social change against the backdrop of his understanding firmly supported South African teams in boycotting international sports events during his prison days.

For instance, he was in support of the ban of South Africa from the Olympic Games from 1964 to 1992, as well as when the country had various other suspensions by international sporting federations.

While in prison, he also supported the Makana Football Association, which used football as a symbol of hope and liberty in Robben Island prison in South Africa.

In fact, it will be recalled in this context that on 10 May, 1994, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president after three centuries of white domination. He used sports as a tool to get white and black people in South Africa to come together.

Shortly after becoming President of South Africa, he attended a football match at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg to see South Africa defeat Zambia. When asked why he chose to watch football, a sport favored by the black majority, instead of attending the inauguration parties as the new president of South Africa, Mandela responded: “I wanted to make sure our people know how much I appreciated the sacrifices made by our athletes during the many years of the boycott. I have no doubt I became president today sooner than I would have, had they not made those sacrifices.”

A year later, at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final held at the same stadium, Mandela made a widely unimaginable gesture of reconciliation and nation-building. Rugby was the most popular sport among South Africa’s white minority. For blacks, the mascot of the national rugby team, the springbok, was a symbol of tyranny. In fact, during his imprisonment, Mandela said that he always supported other countries to defeat his own.

When the tournament opened in Cape Town, about five miles from where Mandela was imprisoned, he told the players: “Our loyalties have completely changed. We have adopted these young men as our sons.”

This got the whole nation to come together and support the team as one, and by 1995, apartheid had been replaced by full democracy, and although South Africa had only one black rugby player, the Springboks played under the slogan “One Team, One Country” at the World Cup.

A month later, South Africa defeated New Zealand in the final in Johannesburg. Mandela ignored the advice of many advisers and presented the award to Springboks captain Francois Pienaar, wearing the green shirt bearing Pienaar’s number 6. A moment that shaped history and helped accelerate healing in a South African society torn apart by years of political dysfunction and inequality. On Mandela, the Springboks, an emblem of repression was transformed into something unifying and restorative.

Mandela famously said in 2000, at the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.”

Under Mandela’s leadership, sport became an affirmation of possibility not just for South Africa but actually for the whole world. His authority led to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The world’s most-watched single-sport sporting event came to South Africa for a month and the world celebrated football and South Africa.

Given the foregoing analysis, it will not be out of place to opine in this context that any South African that has joined others in issue threat to Nwabali has bastardized the legacy of unity through sports which Mandela bequeathed to humanity, not just South Africa.

The beauty of its all is that Nwabali is poised to bring glory to South Africa through sports, particularly in the field of goal keeping. When asked about his feelings as regard rendering his soccer service to South Africa, he said, “No love lost at all. I still love South Africa as much as their fans love me”. Given his response to the foregoing question, there is no denying the fact that he has in his expression, showcased the unifying power of sports beyond borders and rivalries.