RABAT, Morocco – 1996 AFCON champion Doctor Khumalo has lifted the lid on the raw emotion in the Bafana Bafana camp after Sunday’s defeat to Cameroon.
The legendary former Bafana midfield maestro detailed the haunting atmosphere after a crushing 2-1 defeat to Cameroon, describing a dressing room that felt less like a sporting venue and more like a house of mourning.
South Africa’s 2025 AFCON journey came to a brutal end in the Round of 16 on Sunday in Rabat. For a team that carried the hopes of an entire nation into the tournament, the defeat was heartbreaking.
Standing in the shadows of the tunnel, Khumalo, a man who knew this pain and the glory that preceded it better than anyone, knew exactly how the boys were feeling. The former Kaizer Chiefs talisman, who has been a constant presence throughout Bafana’s qualifiers, however, found himself hesitating to get into the dressing room.
“I was just standing there next to the door, and Ronwen [Williams], the captain, was coming from the interviews,” Khumalo told FARPost. “He came up to me and gave me a hug. I said, ‘Unlucky boy,’ and all that.”
It was then that the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper made a request that bridged the gap between two generations.
“He asked me, ‘Legend, are you not going to come into the dressing room?’ I was taken aback. I told him I wasn’t sure if I’d be allowed. He just said, ‘Please.’ So, I went in.”
‘WE DON’T WANT POSITIONS’ – DOCTOR KHUMALO
What Khumalo encountered inside was utter devastation. “It was like a funeral,” Khumalo said. “It was so quiet you could hear a needle drop. Those boys just looked at me. They didn’t even know I was around.”
Khumalo, ever aware of his legendary status, moved through the room, offering the one thing tactical charts couldn’t provide – perspective.
“I hugged each and every one of them. I told them: this is how the game is. You might have lost on the field, but you’re not losers. Well done, boys.”
Beyond the heartbreak of the AFCON exit, Khumalo’s presence sparked a conversation among journalists about the role of legends within SAFA. Drawing comparisons with Cameroon, where icons such as Rigobert Song, Patrick Mbomba and Roger Milla were seen on the pitch after the game.
“Something is not right,” Khumalo noted, citing the lack of legendary figures like Lucas Radebe or Neil Tovey in the team’s orbit. “We don’t want a position of being a president or a CEO. We just want to be around the team.”
Meanwhile, Bafana were scheduled to arrive at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
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