The association decided in February to entrust three senior members - the president Kirsten Nematandani, his deputy Danny Jordaan and executive member Alph Mchunu - with the task of finding a new name.
South Africa's team has been Bafana Bafana since the country was allowed back into international football in the early nineties after apartheid sporting sanctions were lifted. Some imaginative journalists came up with Bafana Bafana ("The Boys" in Zulu) because the team was the new kid on the world soccer block.
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| New Bafana Bafana |
The name quickly caught on and a company, Stanton Woodrush (Pty) Ltd, registered it as a trade mark for clothing. The company fought a court battle against Safa to keep the name and is now controlled by Johannesburg businessman Wayne Smidt.
Smidt controls the trademark through his holding in Slam, a company in which Safa also has a shareholding.
The owners were reported to have made R81-million profit out of Bafana jerseys during the World Cup last year.
Jordaan said yesterday he and his two colleagues on the task team would discuss the potential names for the national team at Safa's executive meeting tomorrow.
He said a decision would be made over the weekend on whether to stick with Bafana Bafana or find different one.
"We have had the name close to 20 years now and perhaps it's time we did away with it and came up with something that gives the impression that South Africa is a powerhouse in football," Jordaan said.
The debate on a new name has been influenced by other African teams having "intimidating" nicknames. Ghana are called The Black Stars while Nigeria are nicknamed The Super Eagles.
"We have won the Nations Cup, played in the World Cup and our Fifa rankings are improving. We can't still call our football team Bafana Bafana because we need one that will present them as an ambitious team that seeks to be a top team in Africa and the world," said Jordaan.
But the SA Football Supporters' Association is against any new name.
The head of the supporters' association, Siyabulela Makunga, said his organisation was still waiting to be included in any discussion on proposals to change Bafana's name.
"The president [Nematandani] said we would be engaged in the process of the name change when it takes place but we have yet to get correspondence from them," said Makunga.
"We would be very disappointed if the name were to just be discarded, given its history and the brand value. Apparently the businessman [Smidt] made Safa an offer, but it seems they will still go ahead and change the name."
Asked whether his organisation would block Safa's move, Makunga said the supporters' association would be "resistant to change, but we will cross the bridge when we come to it".
Source -http://Timeslive.co.za
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