Masters & Legends
History of SAMLFA
History of SAMLFA
In the life of any individual, family, community, or society, memory is of fundamental importance. It is the fabric of identity.’ Sports and football, in particular, is no exception”.Mr.Buti Jacob Mathathe conceived the idea to form this organization in 1989 after retiring from playing professional football and realizing the plight of former footballers.
In 1948 an Afrikaner nationalist class alliance assumed power with a broad racial ideology offering the protection of the ‘Afrikaner People’ and also the maintenance of white supremacy. The term ‘Apartheid’ was used by the National Party as an election slogan in 1948, and although over the years substitute terms were employed by both party and the state, ‘Apartheid’ stuck as the term of choice world-wide for a system of governance and legitimizing an ideology which endured in essence until 1994.
Apartheid has been most usefully described as a form of racial capitalism in which racial differences were formalized and in which society was characterized by a powerful racially defined divide. Amongst the world’s racial orders, South Africa’s was unique in it’s rigidity and in it’s pervasiveness.
From the late 1970s, the apartheid system began to unravel as black resistance intensified, international pressure grew, and forces within capitalism demanded reform. By the late 1980s it was in profound crisis and the instruments of power had become the suspension of law and the unleashing of state terror on oppositional groupings.
Footballers had always been in the mix, brutally affected but contributed towards the struggle using their God given talents to mitigate the pain of being oppressed by providing some entertainment for the majority of black South Africans.
South Africa has for many decades produced some of the best football players in the world who are admired and celebrated world-wide.
The South African Masters And Legends Football Association (SAMLFA) takes a moment to celebrate the bravery of players in the 1970 era who at the height of apartheid used football as the atmost defiance in the white National Football League (NFL) joining the black National Professional League (NPSL), thereby choosing humanity in sports with decisive action.
We appreciate the vilification and the disinvestment in football by the apartheid government to bring football and it’s defiance to it’s knees and favoring other small sporting codes ahead of the beautiful game.
SAMLFA also pays tribute to the leadership of football in the 70s because we appreciate the odds that were stacked against them to lay the foundation that football has never been found wanting in debates about transformation and racism.
Mr.Buti Jacob Mathathe conceived the idea to form this organization in 1989 after retiring from playing professional football and realizing the plight of former footballers.
We played our first international game as football legends in 1994 against the Black Stars of France led by the legendary Roger Milla both home and away celebrating the abolishing of slavery in France. We played local, African and international games and our highlight was the British Ambassadors in Durban in 2001.
The Football Controlling Body in South Africa gave the South African Masters Football Association (SAMFA) partial recognition in 2001 and officially recognized SAMLFA as an Associate Member in 2003. In 2012 SAFA facilitated a merger between the South African Masters Football Association (SAMFA) led by Mr. Buddha Mathathe and South African Legends Football Association (SALFA) led by Mr. Brian Tlale to become SAMLFA. Mr. Buddha Mathathe was elected in the first democratic process under the supervision of SAFA as the first President of SAMLFA in 2013 at SAFA House. The organization is represented in the regions and the 9 provinces.
We are continuously making strides to grow the organization through partnerships that looks to create platforms for social upliftment and economic development of our country by engaging in social responsibility programs like HIV\AIDS awareness, gender based violence, drugs and substance abuse, nation building, social cohesion, children pregnancies, rape, COVID-19 awareness and protocols, vaccination awareness/drive and supporting schools with coaching clinics by utilizing football as a vehicle whilst maintaining interest in the beautiful game of football.
