UMQEQESHI omusha weBafana Bafana uPitso “Jingles” Mosimane uvule ngenothi elihle esigqikini sokucija leli qembu lesizwe likanobhutshuzwayo laseNingizimu Afrika elihola lingena kwi-top 50 ohlwini lweFifa lwamazwe ahamba phambili emhlabeni.
IBafana yagcina ukuba kwi-top 50 eminyakeni ewu-15 edlule. Nangaleso sikhathi iBafana igcina ukuba ku-top 50 ngo-October wango-2011, lesi sikwati sasicijwa nguyena uMosimane owayethathe izintambo kuCarlos Alberto Parreira waseBrazil owayephaka iBafana emqhudelwaneni weNdebe yoMhlaba owakuleli ngo-2010. UMosimane wayengelinye lamasekela kaParreira.
Ngo-2011 iBafana yayingunombolo 49 emhlabeni. Ngaphambi kokuqala kweNdebe yoMhlaba ngo-2010, iBafana yayihleli kunombolo 83 emhlabeni.
Indawo ephezulu eseyake yabanjwa yiBafana ohlwini lweFifa wu-16 ngo-August wango-1996 okwenzeka ngenxa yokuthi leli qembu lalisanda kunqoba i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ngasekuqaleni kwalowo nyaka liholwa nguClive “The Dog” Barker ongasekho.
UMosimane uthathe izintambo iBafana ihleli kunombolo 54 emhlabeni emuva kokuba ibiyenza kahle ngaphansi kukaHugo Broos oyishiye iku-top 10 e-Afrika.
Nokho iBafana yenyukele endaweni ka-50 emuva kokuba iguqise iGuinea ngo-2-1 ngoMgqibelo e-Orlando Amstel Arena, eSoweto. Lona bekuwumdlalo wokuhlungela i-Afcon ezokuba ngo-2027 emazweni amathathu okuyiTanzania, yiKenya ne-Uganda azowusingatha ngokuhlanganyela.
Nokho uhlu lweFifa kusengolwesikhashana njengoba sezihlale zibonakala bukhoma izinguquko emuva kwemidlalo yamazwe. Oluqondile luzokhishwa ngokusemthethweni emuva kwaleli khefu lemidlalo yeFifa, eliphelayo ngempelasonto.
IBafana izodlala ne-Eritrea (ehleli kunombolo 184) ngoLwesithathu kowokuhlungela i-Afcon, ivale ngokugadulisana ne-Egypt kowobungani ozokuba ngeSonto ezweni likaFaro. Nomdlalo ne-Eritrea uzokuba seGibhithe.
