LONG-OVERDUE SUCCESS

Safa National Executive Committee member Anastasia Tsichlas, who served as the acting-president of the 2018 CAF Women Nations Cup, believes that Banyana Banyana’s qualification for the World Cup has been long overdue. “This was a good tournament not only for Banyana Banyana, but for South African women’s football as a whole,” Tsichlas says. “My opinion is that we were the best team of the tournament by far. Of course, the conditions were not easy and the climate was not ideal, and that is why I want to congratulate Banyana for a great achievement. The Nigerian team was used to the conditions and we were not, and this is something we must think about in future. Maybe we should play more friendly matches in countries where they have similar conditions to where these tournaments will be hosted. But the Banyana players showed a lot of character and during the two matches we played against Nigeria, we didn’t concede a single goal. And you know in penalty shootouts, they can go either way.” From CAF’s perspective, Tsichlas believes the South African women’s team won the hearts of many and believes they can do the business in France. “I was there for the whole tournament, and from CAF’s point of view, everybody was so amazed,” she says. “CAF officials were telling me that our team is so different. The way we played from the first game, they saw the dedication. Now there is hope for young players to take the football route either by becoming players or officials – it’s an open door at the moment. Everyone is excited by the team’s qualification. “This success was achieved through putting the puzzles pieces together. Everyone at Safa loves Banyana and everyone is very supportive of the team which is very important. Having a coach that understands what the team wants to achieve and how the players feel is also very important. Players must feel they have a good coach who understands them.”