Banyana are in the last 16 of the Women’s Fifa World Cup after beating Italy 3-2 in Wellington, New Zealand on Wednesday. This is huge for SA football and my wish is that we don’t drop the ball the way we did after hosting the men’s Fifa World Cup in 2010.
Banyana’s victory should be the springboard to push for greater development of women’s football in South Africa.
The win could also force Fifa to consider South Africa as serious contenders to host the 2027 Fifa Women’s Cup.
Banyana are African champions and they played like champions against Italy — their first ever win in a World Cup tournament.
What made everyone proud about Banyana’s win over Italy was their commitment to bounce back, not just once but twice in a match that looked like going the Italians' way when full time came up with the teams level at 2-2.
It was fitting that Thembi Kgatlana, who captained the team on the day, scored Banyana’s winner. Kgatlana’s third goal in a World Cup tournament came after she had combined with Hildah Magaia, another player who has become Banyana’s saviour in big matches.
Kgatlana summed up the spirit in the Banyana camp when she spoke of the sacrifices she’s made to be with the team at the World Cup.
“Over the last three weeks I’ve lost three family members,” Kgatlana told television cameras after helping Banyana win on Wednesday.
“I could have gone home but I chose to stay with my girls. That’s how much it means. I have come back from a brutal injury and for me to be here to play for my country and to represent every girl that wanted to be here, to make history with the girls for SA, everyone deserves it. You know it was a team effort.
“This one was something that we had to dig deep. You can see the girls are happy, we’ve made history and I’m very happy.
“We told ourselves that we must give it the fight. We had nothing to lose, and they came here with pressure because they’re higher ranked than us, they had to get points.
For the women’s game to develop in Africa, hosting the World Cup should be part of the process.
“We were underdogs and I think it worked perfectly for us because when you play an underdog, they come out running for you. We knew that in terms of pace they wouldn’t match us and it’s something we capitalised on.”
Banyana’s progress adds to what the African teams have managed to do in the 2023 World Cup. Nigeria finished behind Australia in Group B to qualify for the next round where they’ll meet England in a mouth-watering match at the Suncorp Stadium in New Zealand on Monday.
Morocco, Africa’s debutants alongside Zambia in this World Cup, can still make history for the continent if they beat Colombia in their final group match on Thursday. A win will take Morocco to the last 16.
The Moroccans have already surprised all and sundry with their 1-0 win over South Korea coming off the back of a 6-0 thumping from Germany in their first-ever match at the global showpiece.
Zambia went home smiling from ear-to-ear after beating Costa Rica 3-1 in their final group match. Zambia’s win came after they had lost 5-0 in their first two matches against Japan and Spain.
All of this, combined with Banyana making history with their win over Italy on Wednesday, makes a case for Fifa to take South Africa’s bid to host the 2027 World Cup seriously.
If SA loses, perhaps Fifa can assure the African continent that they’ll get to host the 2031 World Cup, even if the hosts will not necessarily be SA.
For the women’s game to develop in Africa, hosting the World Cup should be part of the process.
But for Banyana to make progress means the SA Football Association has to double its efforts to take women’s football to the next level. The goal should be to professionalise the game in SA, and that can happen if big companies are wooed to sponsor the league and clubs.
Safa must talk to the Premier Soccer League about how best they can work together to form a vibrant professional league.
With the Confederation of African Football (Caf) insisting that every club participating in their competition should have a women’s team, there’s no better time for Safa to force all 16 PSL clubs to have women’s teams.
This should no longer happen by chance or be forced upon SA clubs when they participate in Caf competitions.
Banyana’s win over Italy means more than Banyana players getting a fat cheque for reaching the last 16. It’s about building a legacy, working for the future.
It means women’s football should be given its rightful place because it is where our future may lie, given how Bafana Bafana struggle in big tournaments, if they qualify at all these days.
The game against Netherlands on Sunday will be part of Banyana’s journey towards learning to compete against the top sides in the world. Italy, ranked 16, were way ahead of Banyana who started the tournament at 54.
Expecting a win against 2019 losing finalists Netherlands and favourites for this year’s World Cup could be too much. But we hope our girls play with the dignity and commitment they have displayed so far.
Victory over Italy should give coach Desiree Ellis great hope, as they’ll soon be playing qualifiers for next year’s Olympics in France. Qualification for that tournament is a must if Banyana are to come to the 2027 World Cup a much better team than they currently are.
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