Wia dis foto come from,Reuters
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- Author,Wycliffe Muia
- Published12 June 2026
- Read am in 5 mins
Africans wey normally dey support each oda, wey normally dey turn up for oda black teams even on social media for di early stages of World Cup do about turn, as many fans from across di continent instead support Mexico for di tournament opening match against South Africa
Di memes no too serious – dem use tins like sombreros, mariachi bands and tacos – but dem still show say somtin deeper dey wrong
Di banter show say pipo dey vex well-well sake of xenophobic violence wey dey happun for South Africa
Poor South African performance on di pitch bin make dem chop 2-0 from di World Cup co-hosts
As di final whistle blow, yabbing post bin full social media. But some South Africans no gree, dem hail di spirit of dia team, wey di alias na Bafana Bafana
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South Africa na one of di 10 African teams for dis year expanded World Cup, wey US, Canada and Mexico dey host togeda
Ahead of di Thursday match, some African football fans say dia support for Mexico na sake of di current tensions for South Africa ova migration
“You want make pipo hail you wen you dey play football just becos we be African?” one X user ask as e cite tori of how dem dey maltreat migrants
“We dey support Mexico so dat South Africa go quick go back house go protect dia jobs,” anoda user post, e tok am based ontop di claim wey no get proof say foreigners na di cause of South Africa high unemployment rate
Odas share memes wey show as dem playfully embrace Mexican culture for di day, dem change dia profile fotos to Mexican flags and adopt Spanish-sounding names, under di caption “Mexico versus xenophobia”
Daniel Kaniki, one Congolese football supporter wey bin dey one fan park for US city of Atlanta tell BBC say: “Africa be like one kontri and if one dey chase di odas, we no be family again. Dat na why I dey support Mexico today.”
Though no be evribodi agree
Ghanaian Vanlare Quist, wey also dey for di fan park tok say im dey root for South Africa, and add say im be “proud African” and e blame di anti-immigrant wahala for South Africa on few pipo
For South Sudan, fans for public viewing centres for di capital, Juba, bin also dey support Bafana Bafana. Pipo for dia get strong ties to South Africa, dem link dia fight for independence from Sudan to di struggle against white-minority rule for South Africa
“E dey bad say na ontop social media we begin see say some African kontris dey support Mexico, even kon dey wear Mexico jerseys. As South Sudanese, we dey behind South Africa and go continue to support South Africa – becos dem dey represent Africa. So, all African kontris gatz support South Africa during dis World Cup,” 23-year-old student George Kenyi Charles Rehan tell BBC for Juba
Wia dis foto come from,AFP
For inside one statement, South African govment hail Bafana Bafana for dia “spirited performance”, and add say even though di final score of di match no be wetin dem hope for, di team “represent South Africa wit unity, determination, plus sense of pride for di world biggest stage”
South Africans on social media also yab dose wey dey troll dem well-well
“We qualify for World Cup by oursefs witout una support, and weda we win or lose, we go still remain South Africans wey love dia kontri. And illegal immigrants go still leave our kontri weda una hate us or not.”, one pesin bin post on social media
Anoda one say: “Make dem support Mexico, na dem sabi, wetin we know be say, we no dey back down. If you wan come South Africa, come legally.”
For South Africa, migrants from oda parts of Africa don bicom targets of violence and intimidation in recent weeks
Anti-migrant groups don set deadline of 30 June for foreign nationals wey dey live for di kontri illegally to leave
President Cyril Ramaphosa bin warn pipo wey dey take laws into dia hands and say na “only authorised govment officials get di right to act against violations of our law”
But e also say worries wey South Africans get “suppose dey heard, and dem suppose address am properly”
On Wednesday, Nigeria bicom dilatest African kontri to repatriate some ofdia citizens from South Africa
Ghana, Zimbabwe and Malawi don already carry out evacuations. Dem say dem dey take di anti-migrant threats seriously
Many pipo from oda parts of Africa bin move go South Africa around di time wen white-minority rule bin end for 1994, wit hope for beta life
But as South Africa dey face high unemployment rate of more dan 30%, anti-migrant sentiments don rise, as protest marches dey hold for major cities and pipo dey face xenophobic attacks
Additional reporting by Celestine Karoney for Atlanta and Nichola Mandil for Juba
