Simon Gopane
Encyclopedia
Motshweneng Simon Gopane (born December 26, 1970 in Bloemfontein
) is a South Africa
n football (soccer)
goalkeeper
.
He was in the South African national team
for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
as an injury replacement. Andre Arendse
was injured before the start of the tournament. His replacement, Paul Evans, was also injured shortly after arriving as a replacement. Gopane was then called up, and sat on the bench for the last two matches.
He holds the distinctive position of being the first-ever goalkeeper to wear the number 23 for his country in the FIFA World Cup
.
He is currently a goalkeeper coach at his local team Bloemfontein Celtic
.
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
) is a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
.
He was in the South African national team
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
as an injury replacement. Andre Arendse
Andre Arendse
Andre Leander Arendse is a retired South African football goalkeeper.He played mostly for Oxford United, Fulham FC , Cape Town Spurs, Santos, Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United. He is also a co-presenter with SuperSport, South Africa's sporting channel.He played for South Africa national...
was injured before the start of the tournament. His replacement, Paul Evans, was also injured shortly after arriving as a replacement. Gopane was then called up, and sat on the bench for the last two matches.
He holds the distinctive position of being the first-ever goalkeeper to wear the number 23 for his country in the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
He is currently a goalkeeper coach at his local team Bloemfontein Celtic
Bloemfontein Celtic
Bloemfontein Celtic is a South African football club based in Bloemfontein, founded in 1969 as Mangaung United, and renamed in 1984 to its current name. The club currently compete in Premier Soccer League, and selected Seisa Ramabodu Stadium as their home venue...
.