OPINION: Hate-Watching Bafana is not patriotism

I thought Bafana Bafana’s “hate-watch era” had ended, but I was clearly mistaken. The defeat to Egypt reopened wounds and once again exposed how fractured national support truly is.

One stumble, and sections of the country were ready to pull the house down.

Have South Africans conveniently forgotten the 27-match unbeaten run that preceded that result? It is astonishing how quickly that great run evaporated. I never imagined I would utter this, but surely it is time to move on from the Thembinkosi Lorch debate.

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The grief over players not selected for Bafana has dragged on long enough, and the timing feels painfully out of place. We cannot be arguing about absentees when players on the pitch are fighting for South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bafana did not lose to Egypt because Lorch or any other omitted player was unavailable because football does not work that way. It was a difficult evening where small margins went against Hugo Broos’s men and on another day, they may have left with at least a point.

Supporters love clubs more than country

Instead of rallying behind the team, part of the fanbase chose to sharpen knives, fuel agendas and gloat as though defeat proved a point. This selective outrage continues to lay bare an uncomfortable truth that some supporters love their clubs more than their country.

There’s nothing wrong with fair criticism, but criticism rooted in club loyalty and resentment is destructive, as it hurts the very team many claim to support. The hate-watch will likely shadow Bafana for the rest of the tournament, and that is a burden the players do not deserve.

One glance at social media makes it feels like Bafana is against the continent and sometimes even against their own.

The disdain shown towards this team is unnecessary, petty and frankly childish. Broos has earned the right to make his decisions. Under him, the team has regained the competitive edge after years of mediocrity and heartbreak and that progress cannot be dismissed with one result.

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For once, I would love the country to view Bafana through a lens of patriotism and unity, not through the colours of their club allegiances. As long as those on the pitch give everything for the flag, they deserve unwavering support, that is what national pride should look like.