Soccer

Football - or soccer, as we call it - is the most widely played sport in South Africa, with its traditional support base in the black community. For many South Africans the country's proudest sporting moment came when we won the African Nations Cup on home turf in 1996.

Soccer is intensely followed, and the quality of the local game keeps improving - as demonstrated by the increasing number of South African players-in-exile among the glamorous European clubs.

Local teams, organised in a national league plus a plethora of knock-out cups, are followed with passion by paint-daubed, costumed, whistling and cheering fans. Mercifully, the country has been spared the spectre of football hooliganism.

There's probably no quicker way to "break the ice" with the South African man on the street than to demonstrate some knowledge of local soccer. To help you improve your conversational skills, here's a crash course on the country's most important teams and competitions.

* Bafana Bafana - which means Our Boys Our Boys
* Banyana Banyana - which means Our Girls Our Girls
* Glamour clubs
* Premier Soccer League
* Knockout competitions
* First Division

BAFANA BAFANA

One of the first gifts that democracy brought South Africa was its first truly representative national soccer team.

In 1992, the united South African team came into being, playing Cameroon in its first match in Durban on 9 July. It was a triumphant occasion for the side that came to be known as Bafana Bafana - "The Boys" - as they edged the West African powerhouse by a goal to nil.

However, the win concealed the negative effect that apartheid-enforced isolation had had on local soccer. This lack of international experience showed as South Africa lost four matches in a row - to Cameroon, Zambia, Nigeria and Zambia - in failing to qualify for the 1994 African Nations Cup.
African champions

When South Africa hosted the 1996 African Nations Cup, however, South Africa proved they belonged in the finals by defeating Tunisia 2-0 in the final. It was during the team's run to the title that its nickname, "Bafana Bafana", became known around the world.
Nelson Mandela leads the celebrations as Neil Tovey lifts the 1996 Africa Nations Cup Nelson Mandela leads the celebrations as Neil Tovey lifts the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
Shortly after being crowned African champions, Bafana Bafana took on world champions Brazil in Johannesburg. Buoyed by a fearless home crowd, the South Africans went two goals up before the Brazilians fought back to win the match 3-2