A half-century since a first mixed SA soccer side

Monday, 16 March marks the 50th anniversary of the first mixed South African representative team that played against a visiting Argentine select side and won 5-0.

The South African Invitation XI, coached by Roy Bailey, beat the Argentine Stars 5-0 at the Rand Stadium with four goals from Jomo Sono and the other from Patrick “Ace” Ntsoelengoe.

Four days later, the SA Black XI beat the Argentine Stars 2-0 at the Rand Stadium with Sono and Ntsoelengoe again the goal scorers. Two days after the tourists won their first game by beating the SA Coloured XI 4-0, again at the Rand Stadium.

The Argentines, mostly students, were coached by Antonio “The Animal” Rattin, best remembered for his red card against England in the 1966 World Cup quarterfinal. They had a six-match tour of South Africa, which continued with the SA Invitation XI winning again, this time 2-0 in an ill-tempered game in Durban with a first-minute goal from Dinini Mwandla and a late strike from Bobby Viljoen.

The SA Black XI then beat the Argentine Stars 2-1 at UPE Stadium in Port Elizabeth with goals from Ntsoelengoe and Webster Lichaba.

The final game of the tour was again in Durban with the SA Invitation side drawing 1-1, with the referee hit by an Argentine player after disallowing a late winner for the visitors.

Their tour came despite the Fifa ban on international contact with South Africa, but also at a time of impending change for football in the country, at that time strictly regulated by the Apartheid laws and with separate leagues for the various race groups.

Before 1974, there had been no official contact between black and white clubs, but it began to change with the SA Games in 1974, where a Black XI, Coloured XI, Indian XI, White XI, and foreign-born XI (called the Continentals) participated.

At the time, there was much excitement around the contact between the races, but the concept of players being picked for a team on the basis of their colour and race would today be seen as abhorrent.

After the Argentina tour, South African XIs were picked to play the then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1977, but football in the country had to wait until 1992 before the Fifa ban was lifted and a proper national team could be constituted.

First South Africa squad

Goalkeepers: Patson Banda (Orlando Pirates), Len Wilkinson (Durban United)

Defenders: Dave Herholdt (Arcadia), Rodney Kitchin (Durban United), Johannes Khomane (Orlando Pirates), Stuart Lilley (Highlands Park), James Mabena (Moroka Swallows)

Midfielders: Martin Cohen (Highlands Park), Webster Lichaba (Orlando Pirates), Pule Ntsoelengoe (Kaizer Chiefs)

Forwards: Ian Bender (Maritzburg United), Abednigo Ngcobo (Kaizer Chiefs), Jomo Sono (Orlando Pirates), Bobby Viljoen (Highlands Park).