Banyana must get support they deserve
EVEN in South African football’s darkest hour on the international stage, it seems we can always rely on Banyana Banyana to carry the torch for the nation.
Bafana Bafana have once again disappointed their fans by dismally failing to qualify for the extended Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon early next year.
Bafana fell at the final hurdle away to Sudan, losing a game in which they only needed to draw to reach the promised land. They subsequently went on to finish third on the log in Group C – two and four points behind the qualifying second and first positions respectively.
This was Bafana’s fourth failure to reach the continental showpiece in the past 11 years. What makes it especially troubling is that the men’s team continue to receive far more backing in terms of sponsors and incentives than Banyana.
Fair enough, it’s true that Banyana will miss out on the Olympic Games this July after qualifying for the last two editions, but they’ve proven that with the right support, internally, nationally and commercially, they could be unstoppable. Already this is a team that has won seven Cosafa championships, having won the regional showpiece for the past four years. They are also regulars in the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon), where they have shone brightly.
Coach Desiree Ellis has been hard at work with her troops, ensuring that they not only defend their Cosafa title or qualify for Awcon next year, but that they actually win the continental showpiece.
And the team did not disappoint their coach during the recently concluded Fifa break when they hosted neighbours Zambia, who are Olympic-bound, and Botswana, who denied them the Olympic dream, in two international friendlies.
Banyana played some exciting and tactically astute football, defeating the Copper Queens and The Mares to bring some sense of joy and pride to our soccer fans. It is high time that the commercial world fully embraces our beloved Banyana, and that they also receive the same pay packets as the men.
We do not remember days, we remember moments.