2024: A Year Of Football Thrills In South Africa
As 2024 draws to a close, South African football fans can reflect on a year filled with both exhilarating triumphs and frustrating disappointments.
2024 was a year of highs and lows for South African football. While Bafana Bafana delivered a memorable performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, challenges faced by Kaizer Chiefs and the departure of Rulani Mokwena from Mamelodi Sundowns added intrigue to the domestic scene.
Sportswire has looked back at some of the best football moments from 2024.
Bafana Bafana’s AFCON Triumph:
Of course, as we started the year 2024, South Africa was looking forward to Bafana Bafana who had qualified for the delayed Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
However, their performance along with captain Ronwen Williams, brought so much joy to the country that has been long starving for success in Africa.
Bafana Bafana started the AFCON group stages by losing 2-0 to Mali. However, they gave the country hope by bouncing back to beat Namibia 4-0, with Themba Zwane scoring twice.
Going to the last game of the group against Tunisia, Bafana Bafana needed a draw to book their spot in the knockout stages to finish second. They did so, a performance that was clear from the onset that they were not willing to lose but to play that game to draw and go to the knockout stages.
As they got the point, the big test was awaited against Morocco in the round of 16. It was a huge test as the North African side became the first African nation to reach the semi-final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
With no one giving Bafana Bafana a chance, Hugo Broos’ side held their own in the first half. As Morocco struggled to penetrate Bafana Bafana, South Africa went ahead in the 57th minute when Evidence Makgopa beat the offside trap before rolling the ball past Yassine Bounou.
With Morocco flooding men forward in search of an equalizer, they were left exposed at the back and Sofyan Amrabat’s desperate tackle floored Teboho Mokoena down. As the last man on the stroke of full-time, the Moroccan was sent off.
Mokoena dusted himself off and swung a brilliant free-kick and beat Bounou at the near post and Bafana won 2-0. It was a result that shocked the world as no one saw it coming. The second goal by Mokoena came after Achraf Hakimi had missed the penalty in the 85th minute after Mothobi Mvala had handled the ball at the other end.
As Bafana Bafana reached the quarter-finals, Cape Verde was the next on the menu. Splashed with beautiful ladies in the stands as many South African men were left drooling, Bafana survived so many scars from the Blue Sharks, with Williams making huge saves in extra time.
Williams made his name in that game as he saved four penalties, becoming the first goalkeeper to do, as Bafana Bafana won 2-1 to reach the semifinals.
In the last four, they were up against the mighty Super Eagles of Nigeria. It was a tough test for Broos’ boys and Grant Kekana made things worse as he took one for the team in the 115th minute when he tackled down Teremas Moffi. The referee did not hesitate as he sent him off.
Unfortunately, Williams did not repeat his quarter-final heroics as Nigeria won 4-2 on penalties. However, both teams had chances to score – with Victor Osimhen’s goal chalked off for offside via VAR and Khuliso Mudau missing from close range from the rebound.
It meant Bafana’s Cinderella story ended and would play in the third-place match against DR Congo. As Bafana Bafana yet again failed to score against the Congolese, the game went to penalties. However, Bafana Bafana won 6-5, claiming their first bronze medal in 24 years.
Bafana Bafana will be back in the 2025 edition, with the tournament taking place in Morocco between December 2025 to January 2026.
Ronwen Williams:
This year will also go down as the best for Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Williams. He became the third goalkeeper in the PSL era to win the PSL Footballer of the Year at the PSL award in the 2023/24 season. The other goalies who have done so are Andre Arendse and Itumeleng Khune.
As Bafana Bafana claimed the bronze medal in Ivory Coast, Williams was named The Goalkeeper of the Tournament and was also included in the Team of the Tournament. He became the first goalkeeper to keep four clean sheets in the AFCON finals.
It didn’t end there for Williams – he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or Yachine Trophy, the best goalkeeper in the world.
It was the first time a goalkeeper plying his trade in Africa has been nominated for such a prestigious award. Williams was also nominated for the FIFA Best XI award.
As he got in neither, it was not the case when it came to the 2024 CAF Awards. Williams was nominated for The CAF Inter-Club Player of the Year, CAF Goalkeeper of the Year, and CAF Player of the Year. He claimed the CAF Inter-Club Player of the Year and the Goalkeeper of the Year awards. He lost out the main one – the CAF Player of the Year – to Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman.
Rulani Mokwena:
No one saw this coming as Mamelodi Sundowns announced the departure of the much-loved coach Rulani Mokwena in June. This after Sundowns almost went the entire league season invincible as they won the 2023/24 Betway Premiership title at the canter for the seventh successive season. However, they were defeated in the last game by Cape Town City.
What worked against Mokwena, despite Sundowns winning the inaugural African Football League, they suffered a defeat to Esperance in the CAF Champions League in the semi-finals.
They exited the competition without scoring a goal in the quarter and the semi-finals, infuriating the club’s management to make changes in the technical team.
Mokwena, who was named the PSL coach of the season, was appointed as Wydad Casablanca coach in Morocco.
Kaizer Chiefs:
The most supported and most loved club in South Africa, yet again will end 2024 without winning a major silverware. It has been hard for Chiefs fans to see their club failing to win a trophy whilst rivals – Sundowns and Orlando Pirates – season in and season out – claiming major trophies. They did not finish in the top eight in the 2023/24 season, the fourth time this has happened in the PSL era.
They had started that season with Molefi Ntseki but he was sacked in October 2023 and replaced Cavin Johnson in a caretaker role until the end of the season. Johnson struggled to get the desired results and left at the end of the 2023/24 season.
In comes Tunisian coach Nasreddine Nabi ahead of the season. Although they won the first three league matches in the 2024/25 season, things have appeared to have fallen apart, as they struggled to win games. Of the 27 games they played in 2024 in all competitions, Chiefs only won seven.
