Compass: July 4

This Sunday night on ABC1, Compass looks at South African soccer during the 1970s and how players of different cultures coped with sporting bans under apartheid.

In the final week of the World Cup, Compass presents the story of the team that never played. In the 1970s South African soccer players were among the best in the world, but because they supported the international sporting bans against the apartheid regime, these unsung masters never had the chance to play on the world stage. This film tells the untold story of what happened to South African soccer during its years in the international wilderness through the eyes and lives of three local stars: Vusi “General” Lamola, now a Christian Ministry priest, who played for the Kaizer Chiefs; Smiley Moosa, defined as ‘coloured’ who began his career playing for Pretoria’s Sundowns; and, Keith Broad, a white player who chose to play for Soweto club, the Orlando Pirates. For them and their fans, football was far more than a game.

“The Team that Never Played” airs at 10:20pm this Sunday on ABC1.