Their mindset should change
“The opening match will set the tone of how the tournament will pan out.”
“This thing has been happening from the time we were playing.”
Mau d Khu malo contribu ted to the g rowth of Sou th African footbalwhile playing along side the likes of Desiree Elis, Joanne Solomons, Khabo Zitha, Eva Mokwape and Portia Modise, among others. When she caled time on her colou rfu l career, she delved into coaching , bu t started by taking charg e of male teams, notably Ledwaba FC in the SAB Leag u e and later the TUT male team in the Varsity Cu p. Three years ag o, she left the nationalU20 coaching job and took charg e of the Tu ks female team, with which she recently celebrated promotion to the Holywoodbets Su per Leag u e, even thou g h they lost the SASOL Leag u e NationalChampionships finalag ainst
Copperbelt Ladies. In this interview with Soccer Ladu ma’s Thomas Kwenaite, Khu malo g ives her opinions abou t Banyana Banyana’s Grou p of Death in next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cu p, u rg es women to take ownership of coaching female teams and issu es a chaleng e to Sou th African clu b bosses.
Thomas Kwenaite: We suppose congratulations are in order after leading Tuks’ women’s team to the Hollywoodbets Super League.
Maud Khumalo:
Thank you so very much. It was not easy. Everything started with the working environment. There were so many challenges and, you know, trying to make people understand your philosophy, your systems and how you work. But when you work with people in the technical department, the same technical staff that had been there when you arrived, the support is not 100% because now you are bringing in something new. Naturally, people are afraid of change. They had been doing things the same way for years, but suddenly I arrive and introduce change and they feel uncomfortable.
TK: How then did you eventually implement that change?
MK:
Truth be told, I was trying to bring something new on the table to enable everybody to have a look and see whether the changes I was bringing could benefit the team or not. But at times, when you work with men … mind you, not all men are the same … they usually don’t give you that respect and the trust, which is sometimes lacking. You got a sense that some of the men were probably asking, “Who the hell does she think she is?” Then I had to prove myself and show them that I came there to work.
TK: Anyway, before we go any further, tell us, what did you make of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup draw?
MK:
That was a tough draw, make no mistake. When you look at the Awcon, you realise that we need to beef up the Banyana squad. Thankfully, I talk a lot with coach Desiree Ellis and she is also aware that she needs more additions. My major concern, however, is now that Thembi Kgatlana is out injured, will she be fit enough when the World Cup gets underway or will she lack match fitness? Of course, we have Hilda Magaia – she’s been doing well – but who is going to relieve her of the scoring duties because we have not yet identified a free-scoring striker? At that level, we need someone prolific to complement Kgatlana and Magaia.
TK: What lessons can be drawn from recent friendlies after the Awcon?
MK: Even during the Awcon, it was clear we needed to beef up the squad. Please do not get me wrong, the team came to the party when it mattered, but most of the players were not playing in their usual positions and credit to coach Desiree for teaching them versatility and doing what was needed and moving the players around. But for me, Linda Motlhalo… I wouldn’t play her as a winger because at U20 level she was more effective as a 10. Those are some of the things I was looking at and if we can beef up here and there, including the goalkeeping department, I know they (Italy, Sweden and Argentina) are also going to analyse and study us in order to plan where and how they can hurt us. But those are the few things we need to tweak around and I believe we can go to the World Cup and compete.
TK: Can Banyana Banyana this Group of Death?
MK:
get out of
It will be the second successive World Cup, we should at least know what to expect. But it also depends on what our target is. I’m sure coach Dewants siree knows what she to achieve and with the experience she has gained with this group, she will be going there to implement the experience she gained from the previous World Cup. Sweden has physicwe ality and must plan on how to offset that. And I gu ess winning the Awcon has brought with it additional responsibiland ities expectations. We will be going to the event as African chamand pions the entire continent will be looking up to us to produce the required results. I think the opening match will set the tone of how the tournament will pan out for us.
TK: Talking about African chamhas pions, how much the title changed the face of women’s football in South Africa?
MK: Even during my time as a player with likes of Desiree, Khabo Zitha, Portia Modise, to mention a few, the operative mantra has always been that we wanted to achieve so that we could change the perception about women’s football being the stepchild of the game. What we need now is for corporates to invest in the game so that it can grow even further.
TK: CAF introduced the Women’s Champions League and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies won it, but this year announced a $400 000 (R7,3 million) prize for the winner, which has gone to ASFAR of Morocco.
MK: This will encourage more women to participate in the tournament. Rememwomen ber juggle work commitments with football, whereas men are full-time professionals. For them, football is a f ull-time job, but women have to sacrifice and others take unpaid leave from work just to participate in tournaments. But if CAF can introduce such a huge amount for a women’s competition, it will definitely act as motivation for women because it can change our lives.
TK: What is your opinion regarding the failure of big brands like Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, AmaZulu etc. to establish women’s teams?
MK: I think during my playing days, Ajax Cape Town wanted to adopt us. We were based in Pretoria, but formal league structures were not yet in place.
However, at the same time Kaizer Chiefs adopted Soweto Ladies FC. I think the fear of club owners is that they will lose a lot of money financing female teams. They have sponsors, they know how many players they have on their books and allocate a budget according to the number of players and personnel. So, maybe the thinking is that if they also establish a female team, it would stretch their budget even further.
TK: But isn’t that a CAF requirement that if a club does not have a female team in 2023, they will not be allowed to take part in pan-African club competitions?
MK: That is indeed true, but I still believe that it all boils down to the corporates and a willingness from club bosses to assist in the development of women’s football. Take the example of Bidvest Wits, they were one team with the best development structures, but what happened to them? Finance. Sometimes the owner doesn’t buy into the concept of women’s football. I think their mindset should change. If you look at TS Galaxy owner Tim Sukazi, he is a great supporter of women’s football and their team was just unfortunate to lose during the SASOL National Play-offs.
TK: We’ve read disturbing reports about sexual harassment in the Zambian national team. How do we overcome this frightening issue in our game when men are coaching females?
MK: With due respect, I think more women need to come out and start taking charge of female teams. There are just no excuses. This thing has been happening from the time we were playing and it’s still happening. The problem is that our male counterparts have this mistaken belief that we want to compete with them. Some even think that football is their domain and we are invading their territory, but the truth is that at the end of the day, they need to understand that it is the best person for the job. I’m saying this because I have, in the past, also coached male teams. But I feel it’s time that women took ownership and ran with it so that we can avoid these things.
TK: Have you started planning for the participation of Tuks in the Super League?
MK: I started a long time ago and had a long-term plan that included promotion to the Super League. I’ve always watched the teams playing in the Super League and I’ve analyzed most of them. I know what to expect and some of the players I’ve personally coached them in the national U20 team and some of them I play against them in the Varsity Cup. I know it’s not going to be easy and it is going to be a huge challenge and good competition for me as a coach and the players. But I know how it is to compete at the highest level.
TK: How did you join the club in the first place? We know you from being in the national set-up…
MK:
Well, the national set-up is a story for another day. What happened is that I was still involved with the national set-up but at the same time coaching the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) men’s team and we won the league for four successive seasons. I then went on to coach an SAB League team (Ledwaba FC) for one season. That’s when I received a call that they would be conducting interviews for prospective coaches and I must submit my CV. I inLedwaba formed bosses that there was an opportunity at Tuks, just to be professional, so that they must not be surI’m prised when gone if I’m appointed. I was appointed soon thereafter.
TK: How did you achieve your turnaround strategy at the side, as they had been considered a midtable kind of team? MK: I committed a lot of mistakes in the past, which at the time I thought were right decisions but in reality they were wrong! When you arrive at a place, you look at how things are done and check out the set-up to familiarise yourself with how things are done. I felt I should start my adaptation by learning their culture and how they operated. I have always wondered why Tuks produced so many good players but they end up playing for rival TUT. I believe in honesty, respect and staying humble, so those are the principles I drilled into the girls when I arrived. But I needed to change their mentality and motivated them to believe that they could win promotion. I pushed them very hard and here are the rewards, we will be campaigning in the Super League from next season! ❐ you very much, best of luck in next season. are most wel