Makana F.A.

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Makana Football Association was a sporting body formed by political prisoners on Robben Island, South Africa who organised football leagues for fellow inmates. [1] Formed in 1966, the association ran a league until 1973, adhering strictly to the Laws of the Game, [2] the FIFA rulebook being one of the few books in the prison library. [3] It was named after the 19th century Xhosa warrior-prophet Makana, who was himself imprisoned on Robben Island. [4]

Prior to this, the game had been banned by the prison authorities, but starting in December 1964, prisoners took turns to "...request to be allowed to play football" every Saturday. [3] At one point the F.A. was running three leagues, with teams from nine clubs competing. [5] The organisation crossed the political divides in the prison, between the ANC and the PAC, with over half of the inmates involved in the leagues. [5] A small group of prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki and Ahmed Kathrada were, however, barred from participating in or even watching the matches. [6]

The Makana F.A. was given honorary membership of FIFA in 2007, [7] and in the same year a film was made telling the story of the F.A., entitled More Than Just a Game . [6] Former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, was a Makana F.A. referee. [2] Others involved in the F.A.'s organisation included Steve Tshwete, Dikgang Moseneke, and Tokyo Sexwale. [2] [5]

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References

  1. ↑ "Tokyo Sexwale: Football kept us alive". FIFA. 18 July 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fifa gives Zuma his ref's certificate". SouthAfrica.info. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  3. 1 2 Ticher, Mike (February 2009). "BOOK REVIEWS:General:More Than Just A Game". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  4. ↑ "Origins of Tournament in an Infamous Prison". The New York Times. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Stocks, Chris (16 October 2008). "On the football pitch we were free". Metro (UK). Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Football 'more than just a game'". SouthAfrica.info. 26 November 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  7. ↑ "Prison soccer league in spotlight on Mandela birthday". Reuters . 18 July 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2009.


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