Beat Nigeriaso we can heal
On the 2024 Olympic qualifiers against Nigeria
This week, we are playing against Nigeria in the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifiers, and these are big matches for Banyana Banyana because we need to qualify for this tournament after winning Wafcon and doing well at the FIFA World Cup last year. My first experience of playing against Nigeria in the Olympic qualifiers was in 2004. The first leg was played at Caledonian Stadium and we drew 2-2, with Portia Modise scoring both goals for us. We went to Nigeria for the second leg, and when we got there, we had food poisoning. We were all sick and the match had to be postponed three times. On the day we were supposed to play, the stadium was packed, but we didn’t show up because we were still in hospital. The situation was bad and there were so many things happening. Nigerian fans thought we were playing mind games with them, but when they came to the hospital, they realised that we were critically, ill especially myself. I remember Ria Ledwaba (SAFA official at the time) coming to visit me at the hospital to say a few prayers. At that time, I knew that if I didn’t make it, it would have been bad for football. We almost died, but by the grace of God, we survived. Three days later, we went back to the stadium, and we only had a few players who were fully fit to play. Despite that, we had to honour the fixture. We played the match and we lost 1-0 from an offside goal. Fran HiltonSmith, Portia and all my former teammates can attest that the goal scored by Nigeria was offside. We let them go through to the 2004 Athens Olympics. As a former Banyana Banyana player that played against Nigeria, the current players must know that they need to beat Nigeria this week so that we can heal from what happened in 2004. We owe it to ourselves to beat Nigeria and qualify for the Olympics. We know that we have qualified before, in 2012 London Olympics and 2016 in Rio, but this one is very special because we have already set the trend as the best team on the continent. I want us to heal our wounds from what happened in 2004. Some of us who went to Nigeria and spent days in hospital fighting for our lives need to move on from that experience. As a former player, I take women’s football very seriously and every competition they play, I support Banyana Banyana. They need to represent us well and I know this Banyana team will do well this week. Everything they do, I support them, and this means a lot to us South Africans. Banyana Banyana are trendsetters in African football. We need to qualify for this tournament, and we have the talent to do the job. Coach Desiree Ellis knows what is at stake. We need to qualify so that we can erase what happened 20 years ago.
On the rivalry against the Super Falcons
Whenever we play against Nigeria, it’s always a difficult affair and I always try to think about the story behind our rivalry against Nigeria. I think one of the reasons is that there are lots of Nigerians who live in South Africa. Whenever we play against Nigeria, they always fill up the stadium and there is always this talk about which team is the best. Nigeria once beat us 4-0 in Nigeria and 7-1 at Rand Stadium during World Cup qualifiers, and that was a humiliation, and since then, the score has been reducing. But now things have changed because we can match them. I’m sure that Desiree, as a coach, is well aware of all those humiliations we suffered against Nigeria and that’s why she wants to win the (two-legged) match so bad.
On playing the first leg away
This week, we are going away for the first leg and the second leg is on Tuesday. Playing the first match away is always an advantage because they will want to put pressure on us. The only thing we need to do is to absorb the pressure and make sure that we don’t concede goals, and when we come to South Africa on Tuesday for the second leg, we need finish the job. As supporters and former players, we are going to mobilise everyone to go to the match. We will all be there in numbers. I have a ladies’ soccer team in Mamelodi and I will take all of them to the stadium to go and support Banyana Banyana. Going away is definitely not going to be easy, from the treatment to the anxiety, and the reason for this is because psychologically, as players, we want to do well and there is always pressure. When you feel that you can’t reach the level or standard you set for yourself, that’s when anxiety kicks in. It’s a lot and it’s not easy playing for the national team when you know that everybody is behind you. As supporters, we also put a lot of pressure on the individual players instead of focusing on supporting the team.
On key Banyanaplayers coming back from injuries
Another piece of good news is that Refiloe Jane, Bambanani Mbane, Bongeka Gamede and Sibulele Holweni are back from injuries. Playing for the national team is not like playing for club football – we have the best medical team that is always trying to make sure that our players recover quickly from injuries. When you are injured, you must go to the camp and once you pass the fitness test, it means that you are ready and good to go. Let’s hope that by the time we play these two matches this week, all these players who are coming back from injuries are fully fit and they will be able to perform to the best of their abilities.
On Banyana’s group in the Olympics if they qualify
If we beat Nigeria and qualify for the Olympics, we are going to have Spain, Japan and Brazil in our group, but right now is not the time to think about that. Football is all about one step at a time, we cannot focus on too many things at once. We need to focus on beating Nigeria this week, qualify for the tournament in Paris and then we will worry then about who is in our group at the tournament. We need to focus solely on beating Nigeria this week so that we can erase all the memories from 2004 and allow the healing process.