Once upon a time, they were the “4x4s”. The nickname was not a compliment.
It attached itself to South Africa’s national football team because of a damning run of scorelines. Zimbabwe 4, South Africa 1, and, less than two months later, Nigeria 4, South Africa 0.
This was the early 1990s, a time of hope, with the country pushing towards democracy, Nelson Mandela its president-in-waiting and, among the dividends of a political journey out of a brutal system of government, apartheid, which disenfranchised the majority of citizens on the basis of race, was the end of international sporting sanctions against the country.
The national football team, previously banned from Fifa, were playing their first ever Africa Cup of Nations qualifier when they went, unsuccessfully, to Zimbabwe. The thrashing in Nigeria was on their maiden step into World Cup qualifying.
Players involved that day in Lagos recall the 4-0 vividly, how the home fans taunted the visitors by shouting “we kept it under five goals only because we love Mandela!”, and how the Nigerian senior players, Stephen Keshi and striker Rashidi Yekini, teased their opponents before dismantling them on a dry, sandy pitch.
“I was in the hotel lift with [teammate] Bennett Masinga, along with Keshi and Yekini,” remembers Neil Tovey, the South African captain at the time. “They stared down at Bennett, who was quite small, and said ‘Did you guys also bring your mascot?’”
More than three decades on, the rivalry remains as spiky, the superior bearing of Nigeria’s Super Eagles still a part of it. It’s a joust between the nations with the two biggest economies in sub-Saharan Africa played out in the continent’s most popular sport.
On Wednesday evening, in Bouake, Ivory Coast, the stakes are as high as they have been for a generation: a place in a Cup of Nations final.
The last time South Africa were so close was in Lagos 22 years ago, losing Afcon semi-finalists to eventual silver-medallists, Nigeria. Some of the original “4x4s” were in that side, although strengthened by experience and by a morale-boosting triumph at their own Afcon in 1996.
There, the shadow of Nigeria had also loomed. Following a political dispute over human rights violations in Nigeria, in which Mandela took a resonant stand, Nigeria’s Super Eagles had withdrawn at the 11th hour, from the 1996 Afcon.
Nigeria were reigning champions. There’s a belief, still, that had they been at the tournament, a squad good enough to win that year’s Olympic men’s football gold medal would have retained their African crown.
“It’s a big rivalry,” says Ronwen Williams, the South African captain, “but what’s happened in the past is in the past.”
Williams, 32, grew up watching steady decline. South Africa failed to even reach the finals tournament in five of the last nine Afcons. That makes them the surprise outsiders in the last four in Ivory Coast, where the host nation meet DR Congo in tonight’s other semi.
But the South Africans are rather enjoying their underdog role and even revisiting that old “4x4" tag.
They now count their blessings in units of four. It’s four clean sheets on the trot. Nobody has exceeded their 4-0 win over Namibia in the group phase as the highest margin of victory in a goal-rich tournament. Goalkeeper Williams made four saves from the five Cape Verdean spot-kicks in the shoot-out that settled Saturday’s quarter-final.
“Our defence has been rock solid,” said Williams, “and it’s not about me. We’ve defended as a team. You see our forward players and wingers working hard to assist us and the back four has been amazing.”
There may yet be good news for that back four. Nigeria, who last lifted the Cup of Nations in South Africa in 2013, have doubts over the fitness of centre-forward and African footballer of the Year, Victor Osimhen.
The Napoli striker, the focus of Nigeria’s game plan, did not travel north from Abidjan to Bouake with the rest of the squad because he was suffering abdominal pain. His readiness to join his teammates was being monitored by medical staff.
“They’ve got a very good attack,” said Hugo Broos, South Africa’s manager, pointing out that Nigeria are potent without or without Osimhen. “There’s Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon, and for many people Nigeria will be the favourites.”
Lookman, the winger, has three goals in the knockout phase.
“None of the players will go out thinking ‘We’re favourites’,” insisted Jose Peseiro, Nigeria’s coach, warning that Morocco went into their last-16 tie against South Africa strongly tipped to progress and lost 2-0.
“They’re a strong side and they’ve been using seven or eight players from the same club [Mamelodi Sundowns], in a good South African league. That helps the organisation and it shows. They’re compact, they don’t allow you a lot of space.”
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Squads
India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
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Saturday's results
West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley
Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm
South Africa squad
Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
