After being announced as one of the 16 lucky football fans selected to attend the Fifa World Cup next month, to be held in the US, Mexico and Canada, super-fan Mamello Makha says this is a reward for being an ardent follower of South African football for decades.
A competition launched by the department of sport, arts and culture, but fully funded by private sponsors, required participants to record a 30-second video demonstrating their passion for football.
“I’m very excited. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to be among the selected fans to support SA at the World Cup,” Makha said.
“This will be my second World Cup, after we hosted it in SA. It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of this incredible journey. I will take this as a reward. I have been following football for decades. Those who know me know my journey from being a young girl who wanted to play soccer for Bloemfontein Celtic and ended up being a fan.
“I have been rallying behind Bafana Bafana since 2010. I attended 18 matches during the World Cup in 2010. I still have those tickets for that.
“It was an amazing journey for me, and to see the rewards really inspires me.”
Makha advised those who were not successful not to be disappointed, saying there were other similar competitions that one could enter. “I know we are many and all of us also want to be part of this. They should not give up. We’ve been in this for years, and I will say this is my first benefit despite the award I once received as ‘football fan of the year’.
“It will come to their table one day. They will get opportunities in the future and should not give up.”
Sowetan
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