Nelson Mandela meets Bafana Bafana
June 3, 2010 – Wearing a Bafana Bafana jersey carrying captain Aaron Mokoena’s number, Mr Mandela arrived to cheers and songs from the team, family members and Foundation staff.
“Nelson Mandela, there is no one like you,” sang the room.
Captain Aaron Mokoena introduced Mr Mandela to all team members, including coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and the technical and management teams.
Introducing 1.98-metre-tall defender Matthew Booth to chants of “Boooooth”, Mokoena told the 1.94-metre Mr Mandela that this “is the tallest man in the building”.
Mr Mandela will be 92 years old on July 18 this year and his birthday has been endorsed by the United Nations as International Nelson Mandela Day. On that day people throughout the world are encouraged to give at least 67 minutes of their time to do good work, in honour of the 67 years Mr Mandela dedicated to making South Africa and the world a better place.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation supports South Africa’s “Football Friday” and “Fly the Flag” campaigns, which are aimed at building national unity and generating excitement ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Click here to watch a video of Bafana Bafana’s meeting with Mr Mandela.
Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena meets Nelson Mandela
Defender Matthew Booth and Nelson Mandela
Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune meets Nelson Mandela
Midfielder Tiko Modise meets Nelson Mandela
Midfielder Simphiwe Tshabalala and Nelson Mandela