The significance of football in Mandela’s life extended beyond Robben Island. After his release in 1990, Mandela understood the deep cultural power of sport to bridge divides, a realization that would later become a cornerstone of his efforts to heal a fractured South Africa, writes Dr. Kanishka Pandey
Football has always been more than just a game. Its ability to unite, inspire, and offer hope in the most unlikely of places is unparalleled. Few stories illustrate this as powerfully as Nelson Mandela’s time on Robben Island, where sport, particularly football, became a beacon of hope for political prisoners during apartheid.
Robben Island, a maximum-security prison, was designed to break the spirits of those who dared to challenge South Africa’s brutal apartheid regime. Nelson Mandela, alongside countless other freedom fighters, spent 18 long years there in cruel isolation, subjected to harsh labor and dehumanizing conditions. Yet, amidst the bleakness, the prisoners found a remarkable source of hope and unity: football.
In 1966, the inmates created the Makana Football Association, a league that was meticulously organized by the prisoners themselves. Though Mandela, due to his senior political status, was not allowed to participate directly, he understood the power of the game and its ability to build solidarity. The Makana Football Association became more than just a diversion from the grueling realities of prison life—it was a symbol of resistance, dignity, and resilience.
Football on Robben Island brought together men from different political factions who might have otherwise remained divided. Through the shared love of the game, prisoners forged connections that transcended their ideological differences, uniting under a common purpose. The meticulous organization of the football league, complete with strict adherence to FIFA rules, gave the prisoners a sense of agency in a place designed to strip them of it. Football became their escape, their source of identity, and their way of maintaining their humanity in the face of dehumanizing oppression.
The significance of football in Mandela’s life extended beyond Robben Island. After his release in 1990, Mandela understood the deep cultural power of sport to bridge divides, a realization that would later become a cornerstone of his efforts to heal a fractured South Africa. His visionary use of sport as a tool for national unity was most memorably displayed during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, where his public support for the predominantly white Springbok team became a defining moment in the reconciliation process. Mandela’s genius lay in his understanding that sport could unite a country as effectively as it united the prisoners on Robben Island.
The story of football on Robben Island and Mandela’s later use of sport to foster unity reveals the profound impact that football—and sport in general—can have on societies in turmoil. Football has an unparalleled capacity to bring people together, regardless of race, class, or politics. It creates common ground where differences fade, and the shared experience of the game builds lasting bonds.
In a world where division and conflict too often dominate, Mandela’s story serves as a reminder of sport’s potential to bring hope in the darkest times. The prisoners of Robben Island, stripped of their freedom, found solace and strength in football, a sport that not only provided a temporary escape from their suffering but also helped sustain their dignity and unity. Mandela later harnessed the same power to heal a deeply divided nation.
Football’s ability to offer hope, even in the face of despair, remains one of its greatest gifts to the world. It teaches us that no matter how dire the circumstances, the spirit of humanity can endure—and sometimes, all it takes is a ball and a patch of grass.
(Dr. Kanishka Pandey, Head- Centre for Sports Research, IMT Ghaziabad)
