‘Best Banyana squad in years’
Safa president Jordaan full of praise for team which has reached Women’s World Cup finals for the first time
IN A few hours, South Africa’s football boss Danny Jordaan will take a 14-hour flight from Joburg to the tiny island of L’île Seguin, in the west suburb of Paris, France.
The journey is a special occasion for Jordaan. “It’s an incredibly special moment for myself and South Africa as a whole,” says the president of the SA Football Association (Safa).
The 67-year-old is on his way to Paris to attend the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup draw. It’s the first time that Banyana Banyana has qualified for a World Cup, so attending a Women’s World Cup draw is something new for the football boss.
Despite losing out to Nigeria on penalties in the final of the African Women Cup of Nations last weekend, Banyana Banyana, under the stewardship of Desiree Ellis, secured a World Cup spot by defeating Mali 2-0 in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Jordaan is full of admiration for the squad.
“It’s probably the best squad we have had in years, not just the best in terms of skill and talent, but also the dedication, commitment and focus of the players is unmatched. It was an extraordinary team effort by the players and management at the African Women Cup of Nations (Awcon).”
Banyana Banyana are one of three African teams to have qualified for the World Cup in France, joining Cameroon and Nigeria. While Jordaan knows that Banyana will face their toughest battle at the 2019 World Cup, he is confident the team has what it takes to shine.
“We have a very good crop of players, so coach Desiree will have her work cut out choosing a squad. There’s no doubt about that.”
Banyana Banyana have been on the rise in the past few years, having won the Cosafa Cup twice in a row, and now, having made the final of the Awcon, as well as having secured a World Cup spot for the first time.
Their success has prompted interest from corporates now looking to support the women’s team, which has long battled to draw sponsorship, other than from Sasol.
Apart from Safa handing the women’s team a R2,4 million cheque for their performance at the Awcon tournament, Jordaan reveals that the women’s team has now secured a new clothing sponsor in international brand, D’S Damat.
The brand announced this week that they would be sponsoring both the men’s and women’s national teams.
“This is a huge sponsorship, and coming from a reputable and international brand, this partnership will go a long way in making sure our national teams are well dressed and looked after.”
Jordaan acknowledges that the gap in incentives between female and male football players must, however, be closed and that women footballers in the country deserve to earn the same salaries as their male counterparts.
“As a principal, definitely yes. I don’t think anyone will disagree with that. But the question is, why is it that over a 10-year period, was it only Sasol that sponsored women’s football?
“And it’s not just football. Some women in sport are telling me that in some cases, they need to buy their own tracksuits to represent the nation.”
For years, Jordaan says, Safa has been trying to help boost women’s football.
“Of course we tried, and now we’re trying again with the launch of a women’s league. We hope to announce the league after a long 10 years of struggle to get commercial support. This Banyana Banyana victory and success has turned the tide in our country. Because of their success, there is real interest and real commitment to support women’s football.”
Safa have often been criticised for their “lack of commitment” towards women’s football, but Jordaan says that is far from the truth.
“This thing that it’s a Safa issue is misguided. It is distorted and is false. The people who say this are the same people who appoint men as CEOS of these companies and put men on the board of these companies.
“This is a societal issue and we should focus on where the solution is. We need to get corporate SA to invest in women’s sport.”