Diplomatic tensions, supporter strife swirl ahead of critical Bafana vs Nigeria Afcon semifinal

The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, in reaction to xenophobic back-and-forth comments between Nigerians and South Africans on social media, issued a statement a day prior to the game.

“The High Commission hereby advises the Nigerian community to be watchful of their utterances, be mindful of where they choose to watch the match, especially in public places, and refrain from engaging in loud, riotous or provocative celebrations should the Super Eagles win the match,” read the statement from the Commission.



“Additionally, Nigerians should maintain the good conduct they are known for, and be law-abiding before, during and after the match.”

However, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) responded on Wednesday that the advisory was “regrettable”.

“It seems to create alarm and unnecessary tension between the citizens of South Africa and Nigerians living in or visiting South Africa,” the department said.

“The South African national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, has played against their Nigerian counterparts, the Super Eagles, on many occasions, and there has been no history of soccer hooliganism among South Africans associated with the outcome of such encounters.”

Nigeria fans celebrate victory during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal against Angola. (Photo: Lenoir Records/BackpagePix)

Nigeria the powerhouse

Nigeria has been one of the powerhouses of African football for decades now. They have three Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) titles to show for this general consistency. Only Egypt, Cameroon and Ghana have won the coveted continental title more than the Super Eagles, who made their Afcon debut six years after the inaugural edition, which took place in 1957.

Dating back to 1976, the Nigerians have been a team that regularly reaches the latter stages of the biennial tournament. As of the ongoing Afcon in Ivory Coast, the Super Eagles have swooped into the semifinals of the showpiece 16 times from their 20 all-time appearances.

This feat is a record at the tournament. Which Nigeria holds jointly with Egypt. Though the Pharaohs have managed it from six extra appearances to the Super Eagles’ 20. They are definitely African giants.

William Paul Ekong of Nigeria celebrates during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal after Nigeria defated Angola. (Photo: Weam Mostafa/BackpagePix)

Nevertheless, their conversion rate when they reach this stage is poor. They should definitely have more than the three Africa titles they currently possess, which came in 1980, 1994 and 2013.

To complement those three gold medals, they have also won four silver medals, as well as eight bronze — with the silver and bronze hauls both being records at Afcon. Nigeria has recorded a total of 15 medals overall.

With all this in mind, it is clear that Bafana Bafana will have to dig extremely deep in order to navigate past the Nigerians, who boast seven victories to Bafana’s two when the teams have clashed in previous encounters. There has not been a winner on five occasions.

Though as South Africa’s skipper Ronwen Williams stated in a pre-match press conference, stats don’t win games. So, Nigeria’s impressive Afcon history will not intimidate Hugo Broos’s men.

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Turbulent months

Nigeria, who were bundled out of the quarterfinals during the previous Afcon two years ago, came into this tournament with a lot of scrutiny on them.

This was as a result of some less than satisfactory results, by their high standards. The Nigerian public was already on edge as the team failed to qualify for the Fifa World Cup in 2022. The first time this had happened since the Super Eagles had failed to book a flight to Germany in 2006.

Portuguese coach José Peseiro was then appointed in mid-2022, a few months after that disappointing Afcon exit, as well as the World Cup failure. He inherited the discontent that was emanating from the Super Eagles’ passionate support base.

Commencing their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with two 1-1 draws against minnows Lesotho and Zimbabwe at the tail-end of last year did little to ease the pressure on the team and Peseiro.

Jose Peseiro, head coach of Nigeria. (Photo: Djaffar Ladjal/BackpagePix)

So, when they started their Afcon group phase with a draw against Equatorial Guinea, there was also already a sense of “here we go again”.

However, the Super Eagles have since soared. Winning all their games without conceding a single goal. Including the 1-0 victory against Angola that saw them book their spot in the semifinals.

“We’re in the semis, there’s great team spirit and commitment and we’re playing as a unit,” Peseiro said ahead of the crucial clash.

“We have a huge game against a strong team in South Africa and we want to win to reach the final. Because that is our goal.”

A run to the final will grant Peseiro and his men breathing room. As the team’s talisman Victor Osimhen indicated in the earlier stages of the tournament.

Jose Peseiro instructs Victor Osimhen of Nigeria during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal. (Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix)

“All of us are desperate to make up for failing to reach the 2022 World Cup. The only way we can achieve that goal is by winning the Cup of Nations,” Osimhen said.

“We are capable of winning this tournament because the squad is packed with players who are performing exceptionally well for their European clubs.”

Though South Africa’s squad is made of up by a majority of players who play in South Africa, they have shown that they will not be intimidated by anyone — even though the Nigerians are huge favourites on paper. DM

Kickoff is 7pm SA time.