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Mbeki slates soccer team names
22/10/2007 20:17 - (SA)
Johannesburg - President Thabo Mbeki said the senior soccer team's name, Bafana Bafana, is not fit for a national team name, speaking on radio Metro on Monday.
"What kind of a name is it? I don't think it is fit for a senior national team or for the hosts of the 2010 Fifa World Cup," he told the Metro listeners.
"We need to revisit the names of teams like Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana
(senior women soccer team), Amaglug-glug (Under-23 soccer team). The public
should participate in a plan where we look for new names for our national teams.
"A team name should be representative of the country, its values and it should be highly regarded in the world of sport.
Mbeki was invited to speak about the Springboks recent Rugby World Cup victory in Paris, France, and he was firm in his talks that not only the name, but team colours should change too.
"I'm not saying we must call all our national teams Springboks, but we have
to change the names, the emblems and the colours the teams wear, so that they can be recognised as representatives of South Africa.
Bafana Bafana's shirt colours have changed from gold to yellow and other
variations since readmission in 1992 while the two-time Rugby World champs, the Springboks, have always donned the famous green kit with gold trimmings and the jersey is arguably one of SA's best known brands.
- SAPA
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