South Africa’s FIFA World Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start as Bafana Bafana made unwanted history in their opening match.
Midfielder Sphephelo Sithole became the first player to be sent off in a World Cup opening fixture since Bolivia’s Marco Etcheverry received a red card against Germany in 1994. Remarkably, no player had been dismissed in a tournament opener for 32 years — until South Africa received two red cards in the same match.
The result adds another unfortunate chapter to South Africa’s World Cup history.
In 2010, South Africa became the first host nation in FIFA World Cup history to fail to progress beyond the group stage despite hosting a memorable tournament on home soil.
Now, 16 years later, Bafana Bafana have once again found themselves on the wrong side of the record books, this time for disciplinary issues on football’s biggest stage.
The dismissals overshadowed what should have been a proud occasion for Hugo Broos’ side, as frustration and pressure appeared to boil over during the contest.
Matters worsened when Themba Zwane was also shown a red card in the 84th minute following a VAR review for violent conduct.
Bafana Bafana will now need to regroup swiftly ahead of their remaining group-stage fixtures as they look to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
