Africa Is a Country

A Lion in Winter

A Lion in Winter

By
Peter Alegi

Isaiah Stein was a sports activist and father of footballers, Edwin (Luton Town), Brian (Luton Town and England) and Mark (Chelsea).

A young Isaiah Stein.

A stalwart of the anti-apartheid sport boycott movement, Isaiah Stein, passed away in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2011. After serving time in prison – in the mid-1960s – Stein left South Africa for Britain where he worked tirelessly for the exiled South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SANROC).

Three of his sons became professional footballers in England; Brian had an illustrious career at Luton Town and earned an England cap in 1984. Playing for Chelsea, Mark once scored in seven consecutive matches (a record which stood until 2002); Edwin meanwhile played for Barnet. It is little-known stories like those of the Stein family from [the coloured township of Athlone in]Cape Town that remind us of the dignity, humility, hard work, and sacrifice of individuals who fought relentlessly to advance the cause of sport and human rights in South Africa and beyond. Rest in Peace Isiah.

* For more on Mark and Brian Stein’s remarkable football careers, read Sean Jacobs’ article, “‘It wasn’t that I did not like South African football’: media, history and biography.“

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