World Cup bound trio make history
World Cup bound trio make history

Posted in News on Jun 01, 2010.

With the inclusion of Amakhosi goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune and the dreadlocked midfield duo of Siphiwe Tshabalala and Reneilwe Letsholonyane in the final 23 man squad by Carlos Alberto Parreira for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it is the most number of Chiefs players to be named in a Bafana Bafana squad since South Africa first qualified for a FIFA World Cup at France 98.



When Bafana Bafana made their inaugural trek to the FIFA World Cup in 1998 Doctor Khumalo and goalkeeper Brian Baloyi were part of Frenchman Phillipe Troussier's squad, that was drawn in the same group as hosts France, Denmark and Saudi Arabia.

Doctor Khumalo was the first Chiefs player to appear at a FIFA World Cup when he came on as a halftime substitute during Bafana Bafana's final game group against Saudi Arabia which ended in a 2-2 stalemate.



At the next FIFA World Cup in 2002 hosted jointly by Korea and Japan Cyril Nzama and Jabu Pule were selected by Jomo Sono to do battle during the first World Cup held on Asian soil.

Nzama played in all three of South Africa's games at the tournament; which were a 2-2 draw with Paraguay a 1-0 win over Slovenia and 3-2 loss to Spain, while Pule made an appearance as a substitute during the win over Slovenia which was South Africa's first ever victory at a FIFA World Cup Finals tournament.



In Parreira's squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup 17 of the players are based at PSL clubs, Mamelodi Sundowns are represented by four players while The 'Amakhosi' and their Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates and Golden Arrows each have three representatives in the team. Ajax Cape Town, Bloemfontein Celtic, Moroka Swallows and SuperSport United each have one player selected for the squad.

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