It may have come with some butt-clenching, it may have almost caused a few heart-attacks, but Banyana Banyana’s 3-2 victory over Italy was one of the sweetest the country has ever tasted. There was a huge sense of relief when the referee blew the final whistle and confirmed Banyana’s passage to the Last 16 of the Fifa Women’s World Cup in Down Under.

This was a far cry from the last World Cup in France in 2019, where Banyana returned home without a single point. The improvement was visible. The squad had lost all their three opening matches against China, Spain and Germany – but this time around, Banyana were in control in all their three matches against Sweden, Argentina and Italy, albeit making life difficult for themselves and giving the entire country a big scare.

Even though they were facing a brick wall against the Netherlands this morning, the girls have become the darlings of the nation and the result does not matter. They have achieved what their overpaid and pampered male counterparts have failed to accomplish.

This signals that there is indeed Talent in South Africa. If we can only get administrators who can discover talent, believe in the talent and then nurture it. The problem is that the South African Football Association’s (Safa) national executive committee is bloated with individuals who are not contributing anything to the well-being of our football. They are just there for the privileges and the perks that come with the position.

It is disheartening when you have individuals such as Monde Montshiwa, on the exco, bashing Banyana players and saying that they are merely going to the World Cup for a holiday. Montshiwa was left with egg on his face when Banyana advanced to the knock-out stages, against all his expectations.

How the hell is he still in the exco remains a mystery – he is probably going nowhere because he is one of Safa president Danny Jordaan’s trusted men.
There’s a huge leadership vacuum when you have the likes of Tankiso Modiba, whose only notable contribution in the Safa top structure is to attack the media and throw salvos at journalists, unprovoked, nogal.

Banyana have given the country hope. And the association can do better in attracting better administrators for the betterment, the development and the growth of SA football – not individuals who criticise their own players.

At the moment, the nation is excited about Banyana’s performance and everyone is on a high but Safa are still getting a hammering from the general public.
The mother body has not won the confidence of the corporate world, hence the shortage of funds and the need to go cap in hand to the Motsepe Foundation for a donation to pay the girls bonuses – this is all the while when personalities and legends such as Lucas Radebe, whom the corporate world adores are kept outside of the association because of politics and by nincompoops who have never kicked a ball.

If Safa have the best interest of SA soccer at heart, they should leverage from this World Cup and get rid of the deadwood…we are about to hit summer now.

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Kgomotso Mokoena