Bafading Bafading

It is a little bit of a shame that football things have to turn out this way. As it seems now, it is absolutely no-one's HUGE fault. South Africa's Bafana Bafana name is cursed anyway. The team had religiously lived or rather played under the name to the letter. The only missing part is the befitting prefix - "weeping".

Let's get this straight. South Africa played well in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but well below their well-known potential. If Steve Pienaar and Teko Modise, just to name two, played the way we know they can, history would be different today. I will not blame them. It was the name. It is a heavy name, actually light. In their hearts, they always felt like Bafana Zero or Bafana Light.

In the build up to the World Cup, I was hoping that a suggestion like the name or term that former coach Carlos Alberto Parreira used in their tour in Brazil when they played Chile, would stick. South Africa came from a goal down to draw the match. In a press conference, in praising his team performance, he said, "We are KING LIONS" or was it LION KINGS? I personally tried to sell that name somewhere on this blog without getting any buyer.

The claimant of the name Bafana Bafana, if it is his trademark as he claims, can surely successfully sue for the R10 million SAFA is said to have made using the name during the World Cup. SAFA now say the public must come up with a new name because this one came from the people.

As usual, protocol will have to be followed. A setting-up committee to set up a name searching committee will have to begin. This committee will be required to set a technical committee to oversee the process. The technical committee will be tasked with appointing a public committee responsible for organising the meeting of the name approving committee. This one will have to be in charge of stipulating all exhaustive issues surrounding the choices that will come forth. They will need one committee that ascertain no duplication or registered trade marks are selected.

The last committee before the one that hands over the name to SAFA will be responsible to register this name as a property of South African football. I do not think by this time SAFA will have enough money to set a speed committee to register this name quick enough before someone claims that name theirs.