Banyana coach Pauw steps down

VERA Pauw has brought the curtain down on her career as the brains behind Banyana Banyana.

The Sunday Times can reveal that Pauw stepped down from her position as head coach of the senior national women’s team last week.

The former Dutch international resigned from the job a day after Banyana Banyana played to a goalless draw against Brazil in their final Group E match at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In their second appearance at an Olympics tournament, the team suffered a first-round exit and finished bottom of their four-team group with only one point to their name.

South Africa lost their first two matches in Rio de Janeiro. They went down 1-0 to finalists Sweden in their opening encounter. That setback was followed by a 2-0 defeat to China.

Banyana displayed a determined performance in their final group match, holding host nation Brazil to a goalless draw in Manaus.

This newspaper has learnt that the morning after the draw with Brazil, Pauw gathered the women at the team hotel.

At that meeting Pauw, the first Dutch female footballer to play professionally, CONTRITE: Vera Pauw announced to the players that she was leaving. She told them she had done the best she could but it was not enough. She then wished the women good luck for the future.

That effectively ended Pauw’s twoand-a-half-year journey with Banyana. It began in March 2014, when she took over the reins from Joseph “Skheshekheshe” Mkhonza, under whom the team qualified for their maiden Olympic appearance in London 2012.

The South African Football Association (Safa) has asked Pauw to hold her horses and seem to be reluctant to release her.

“I would like to inform members of the media and the public that after the return of Banyana Banyana from the Rio Olympics, we requested coach Vera Pauw to compile an extensive report detailing where we came from and where this team is going; and she has done so. It is a normal progress report that will give us a direction on the next step,” Safa chief executive Dennis Mumble in a statement on the organisation’s website.

“And while we have received her report, we cannot pronounce much with regards to the future of the coach and other developments. These are internal processes which need to be followed,” he said.

Safa needs to act fast because the team need to get ready for the 2016 Confederation of African Football Africa Women Cup of Nations for which the team had qualified under Pauw.

The tournament will take place in Cameroon from November 19 to December 3.

During her time with the Banyana Banyana Pauw failed to qualify them for the 2015 Fifa Women’s World Cup which was hosted by Canada.

She has been credited with improving the team’s defensive work. But critics are adamant the only mark of success would have been had the team progressed beyond the group stage.

Pauw has previously coached Scotland, Russia and the Netherlands.