South Africa’s media personality, Somizi Mhlongo has cheekily called for the soccer team, Mamelodi Sundowns, to be the new national team.
This follows their weekend’s historic 2-0 win against Morocco’s Wydad AC in the African Football League final at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria.
Impressed by the team’s victory, Mhlongo proposed the idea in a video he posted on his Instagram.
‘’How about Sundowns becoming the national team?
I am not a supporter of Sundowns, but it makes sense. They play well as a team, they know each other, and they are good and rich,’’ quipped Mhlongo.
The post sparked a debate on the comment section with some agreeing while others shared the technicalities involved with the implementation of the idea.
‘’They have about eight players in Bafana Bafana, the problem is their foreign players cannot play for Bafana and those South Americans make a big difference to the Sundowns team,’’ one user commented.
‘’Sundowns becoming a national team can benefit us in so many ways because Motsepe goes a long way for his team if you know what I mean,’’ another wrote.
Others used the chat as an opportunity to throw shade at other local soccer teams.
“abafana bayafana nje ne Kaizer Chiefs mara in disguise’’.
However, Somgaga laid out his plan to the masses.
‘’They’ll play when they play locally as Sundowns.
But when it is time for the World Cup, Sundowns go as South Africa, because this other one doesn’t work and that’s the only sporting code that doesn’t make sense,’’ explained Mhlongo.
The Springboks sterling performance at the Rugby World Cup and their win of the Webb Ellis Trophy has put Bafana Bafana in the spotlight.
Among fans who pleaded with the team to make a change was their coach, Hugo Broos, after they drew 0-0 with Eswatini in an international friendly at the FNB stadium last month.
Bafana Bafana have two crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers matches this month and Broos challenged them to follow through.
‘’It’s time that South Africa can qualify again for such a big tournament so therefore it’s a very important camp and also the fact there are two games now, we have to be careful that we have a good start’’, he said.
Mzansi last qualified for the World Cup back in 2002, which was held in Japan and Korea.
The nation awaits to see if they will break a 21 year long dry spell of no World Cup participation as they will face Benin on Saturday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, in Durban.
