Banyana Banyana's FIFA Women's World Cup exploits have left everyone impressed and even created optimism about the future of our women's football. Since then, there have been talks about possible future plans for South African women's football and how this game should be elevated to the next level. This is a noble gesture, following our ladies' remarkable showing despite all the odds stacked against them.
While at face value, it is so easy for everyone to get carried away by the momentum, it is critically important to remember that this is not the first time we've heard such heart-warming speeches and promises made whenever we celebrate Banyana's good performances. Truth be told, we've not heard anything new since Banyana returned from the World Cup – none of what has been said had not been said before. After they won the Women's African Cup of Nations in Morocco last year, we undertook to improve our women's football, but not much has happened since then. Even listening to important stakeholders now, after yet another glorious opportunity to improve women's football, there seems to be nothing concrete on the table. It seems to be the same old story of, "We need to improve women's football… our girls are doing well and deserve better…", but what tangibles are there? What have we got lined up for the improvement of women's football other than the well-decorated speeches and empty promises?
The good run by our girls could just be a much-needed turning point for our women's football and there is no better time than now to strike while the iron is still hot. While everyone is still engulfed in the euphoria of the World Cup, maybe, just maybe, it is time we intensified our actions towards realising the dream of getting our women's football to the next level. Enough of the rhetoric, it is time for action now. Going to Australia/New Zealand, we were the lowest-ranked team in our group with almost no one giving us a chance to dominate, let alone get our first ever World Cup victory, but our team defied all the odds. They didn't only secure the first-ever win, they also made history by reaching the Last 16 for the first time in their history.
This is a feat that even our very own Bafana Bafana are yet to achieve, which now puts things into perspective. To think our team went to the World Cup almost in disarray, following the match boycott against Botswana as well as the disagreements between the players and the Association, on the eve of the team's departure for the biggest sporting event of their lives, one has to bow to coach Des, the technical team and the players for a job well done!
Our team couldn't have had it any worse and they surely went into the tournament as the least-prepared team, psychologically and otherwise, yet they emerged as one of the best teams to watch in the tournament. They certainly left a mark and it will come as no surprise if more of our players have caught the roving scouts' eye and will be lured away from the country. Now, imagine if the team had the best preparations for the event and went there without any issues hanging over their heads? Imagine if our team comprised of fulltime professionals and not just a few of our players enjoying regular and competitive football week in and week out? Is it too much to ask for the expedition of the women's professional league in our country, where our players, like their male counterparts, will solely focus on playing the game that they love so much, without being forced to look for side jobs to keep the fire burning at home? How long is it going to take for something to finally get done about this situation? A situation that has been spoken about and saw promises made even during coach Desiree Ellis' playing days.
Over two decades later, she's now a head coach of the national team, but the playing fields are still far from being levelled. Women's football is still far from being professionalised and, at the rate things are going, one can't even rule out the possibility of some of the current crop of players hanging up their boots without tasting fulltime professional football, despite all the achievements they've accomplished over the years. We have to seize this moment and make sure that we build from this momentum and take our women's football to the next level. If there was a time that is not to be missed, it has to be now. We saw what a missed opportunity 1996 Afcon success was and it is also well-documented how the 2010 FIFA World Cup train left our football behind. The last thing we need is to see history repeat itself in women's football this time around. Let's do whatever we can to avoid that from happening so that we have something to show for the good performances we showed at this World Cup.
If this doesn't happen and come the next two years we still have nothing to show for our 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup exploits, we may as well forget about ever getting it right. Oh, before we go ahead with the future plans and ensuring they are realised, let's take care of the big elephant in the room! Now that the dust has settled, can the Association take us all in confidence about the latest developments regarding la mcimbi (that matter) – you all know what I'm talking about. We have some unfinished business, whereby our girls were promised monies after the World Cup, and there is also the payment that is expected to come from FIFA via the Association, as articulated by former SAFA vice-president, Mama Ria Ledwaba, in his interview with this publication three weeks ago.
After such an impressive performance and putting our country's flag on the world football map, the least we can do to our Banyana is to make good on our word and give them what's due to them. They have earned every bit of it and if we are to promote Banyana and encourage the next generation to take women's football seriously, we have to start treating them as equals to Bafana. Promises made to Bafana are usually fulfilled, especially in the last decade or so, therefore the same should apply to Banyana and the fact that they seem to have been gagged smacks of dictatorship. Have you noticed how quietly Banyana made their way back into the country with very little transparency when it comes to the promises made to them? Is it a coincidence that the national team coach has not been doing interviews with all the different media houses to share their experiences and thank the country for their support, since they came back?
The 2010 World Cup lifted the spirits of our people and even changed lives. We became a united front and the impact the tournament had can't be put into words, even though there was room for improvement in handling the proceeds that came with it, just as it was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even Bafana's failure to make it past the group stage couldn't deter us from enjoying and supporting the event. We still made the most of the opportunity to host the world in our shores, but surely, we can all agree that was a moment lost because that event should have changed our football landscape for the better, completely. We can't afford to miss this Banyana moment by failing to capitalise on the spin-offs that come with reaching the Last 16 for the first time, ever! Enough talking, time for action!
Cheers,
VeeJay
