Mr Speaker, the ANC congratulates Orlando Pirates for advancing to the finals of the African Football Champions League ... [Interjections.] ... after courageously holding the two-times continental champions Esperance FC to a 1-1 draw in Tunisia on Saturday. Not only did the goal by Rooi Mahamutsa in the second half of the game silence the hostile and terrifying Tunisian crowd, but it also ignited a sense of renewed pride, patriotism and confidence in our nation's ability to achieve the unimaginable on international platforms.
Despite the testing conditions, the intimidating Esperance supporters and the pressure of taking on one of the continent's soccer giants on foreign grounds, the Buccaneers displayed character, tenacity and determination to overcome the odds. [Interjections.]
The only South African club to have won this tournament before, Pirates brilliantly displayed to all of us the calibre of sporting temperament this country has not seen since the early years of our democracy. The strength of our national soccer team is in the quality of soccer clubs and the competitiveness of the tournaments in which they participate. Pirates obtained its first star when it won the African Football Champions League in 1995, and a year later, in 1996, Bafana Bafana won the African Nations Cup tournament.
We are confident that Pirates' performance will reignite our national soccer hunger to accomplish the impossible, the courage to conquer the difficulties and the passion to pursue its dreams. We are deeply encouraged by Pirates' performance in this tournament thus far. [Applause.]