After beating Team Nigeria to top the medals table at the just-concluded 23rd African Senior Athletics Championships, in Douala, Cameroon, athletes and officials of Team South Africa shifted their focus to football with the Super Eagles as the topic of discussion.
 
Before the trip to Douala, some officials of Team Nigeria had boasted that the country would dethrone South Africa going by the array of stars that it paraded.
 
But Team Nigeria encountered some “setbacks” shortly after the championships began, with world record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan pulling out due to illness, while the duo of Ofili Favour and Rosemary Chukwuma refused to show up for their semifinals in the 100m.
 
Nigeria also lost the gold medal in the men’s 4x100m relay, which they were tipped to win.
 
The South Africans in the end topped the medals table with seven gold, five silver and eight bronze medals as against Nigeria’s five gold, six silver, and four bronze medals.
  
Douala is a city noted for its nightlife parties, and the South Africans took advantage of it. From the closing ceremony at the Japoma Stadium, the South Africans sang and danced to their PAYE Hotel in the centre of the city. As usual, some journalists who were hunting for news joined them.
 
But rather than focus their debate on the CAA African Senior Athletics Championships, which they just won, some South African athletes and officials changed the topic to the ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
 
“We have just beaten Nigeria in athletics here in Douala, and come next year, our boys (Bafana Bafana) will eliminate the Super Eagles from the race to the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” one official told The Guardian.
  
“Despite the four points gap between the Super Eagles and South Africa, Nigerians are still hopeful of picking the ticket. Help me tell your people that the journey is over for the Super Eagles,” one of their officials said.
 
Another official cut-in: “You have missed your chance of going to the 2026 World Cup already. Even if the Super Eagles should come and beat us in our country, we will still have one point ahead of Nigeria.  
 
“I don’t even see your Super Eagles beating us in the return leg. We will beat Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Benin Republic. Your Super Eagles won’t go anywhere. No foreign coach can save your country. Just forget about the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket, put your house in order, and prepare for the 2030 World Cup.”