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South Africa became the first nation on the continent to host the World Cup in 2010, with Pan-African unity in plentiful supply as Ghana reached the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n
Sixteen years on the same cannot be said as many fans across the continent were supporting Mexico on Thursday rather than Bafana Bafana.<\/p>\n
It is partly in response to anti-migrant protests<\/a> and violence in South Africa, which has prompted several other African countries to repatriate some of their citizens.<\/a> <\/p>\n South African officials have condemned the violence and insisted their country is not xenophobic.<\/p>\n But many on the continent were happy to see South Africa defeated, with Elisha Kamau organising a ‘hate-watch’ party in Nairobi.<\/p>\n “Close to 200 people showed up and almost all of them were supporting Mexico,” he told Newsday on the BBC World Service.<\/p>\n “In Kenya, generally speaking, people support Senegal and Cameroon and Central African states, and less South Africa and Morocco.<\/p>\n “The second reason I think is just the timing of the xenophobic attacks. It depends who is playing South Africa, but I think most people would support the other team.”<\/p>\n Daniel Kaniki, a Congolese fan who watched the game at a fan park in the US city of Atlanta, told BBC Sport Africa: “Africa is like one country and if one is chasing others, we are not a family any more. That’s why I’m supporting Mexico.”<\/p>\n Though not everyone agreed.<\/p>\n Ghanaian Vanlare Quist, also at the fan park, said he was rooting for South Africa, adding that he was “a proud African”.<\/p>\n He blamed the anti-immigrant sentiment in South Africa on a few individuals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n