The importance of Nelson Mandela in the world of football

Last update 5 December, 2013 por Julio Muñoz

Unfortunately clinched the 95 years of life most famous prisoner of history, el número 46.664 the Robben Island, It is time to remember Colgados for football the importance of Nelson Mandela and his struggle against apartheid, that they succeeded in overthrowing in 1992 after years of intense fighting ,They had in the beautiful game.

And is that if at some point be of one kind or another, belong to one race or another has influenced has been in South Africa and it, of course it has been translated to football, where the constants rational divisions affected the South African football throughout the twentieth century. In fact, which still it is considered black sport in those parts (Rugby is white) it was not so at the beginning of the last century. And to show several really striking episodes, that hardly can be observed elsewhere in the world.

Creada en 1822, South African Football Federation (PHASE) He started in the beginning giving absolute priority to whites, which could compete and play on teams that were formed in various regional leagues. The opposite, that the black population which prevented him from attending parties or as a lesser evil tiny spaces are reserved to witness them. That was the tone in the early years, in which not change until 1933, when two informal associations such as the FA South African Bantu who was in charge of regularizing the situation of players of color and the South African FA was founded Color, It is trying to effectively combine the composition of equipment mongrel.

Sin embargo, and as more and more blacks they were playing soccer, at official level reality he dictated otherwise. The creation of the Confederation of African football 1951 and the remodeling of his federation was giving top priority to the white race, whereas for the World 62 take a completely white outfit, as he did for the continental championships, in which he played well today with a team entirely black or white, following the dictates of the Constitution of the country.

This evidently generated rejection and repairs in the CAF and FIFA, body in 1974 South Africa decided to expel its structure for not allowing miscegenation team ( already in 1964 Congress in Tokyo he had provisionally suspended). A blow to a team that had to wait two decades to return to the international level.

He 8 from December to 1991 managed to lift the ban on blacks through the efforts of Nelson Mandela, South African sport is eradicated all traces of its past racial division. Four disparate associations came together to form the new organization: the South African Football Association, South African Football Association, the South African Football Federation and the National South African Football Association.

A month later, SAFA delegation received a standing ovation at the CAF Congress in Dakar (Senegal), where South Africa was granted observer status country. Admission of South Africa in the FIFA was confirmed at the congress in Zurich in June 1992. Automatically he followed his admission to the CAF, and South Africa returned to the world stage.

The following month, the country became host its first international meeting. South Africa hosted Cameroon, cuartofinalista World Cup Italy 1990, to hold three matches tribute to its unification process. In September 1992, South Africa faced Botswana in Lenasia in his first youth international, a corresponding shock category U16. Till the date, the nation has placed a selection in each of the competitions of FIFA and CAF, 17 from the sub-category to absolute, and the female mode. Además, there is a Premier League where players are allowed to mix both races without problems.

On a social level, football still a sport still seen as black and white rugby, but legal level there is no reason for such a division. and it, fundamentally, It is owed to Nelson Mandela, the man who has left us.