Bafana Bafana finished third in the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, and Banyana Banyana advanced to the Women’s FIFA World Cup knockout round last year. To inspire the rest of the country, Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says the senior men’s and women’s national teams must perform well.
“Before Bafana journeyed to the AFCON, I asked someone to judge them after the tournament because many people didn’t trust in the team. We didn’t have many people who believed in the players, so I was one of the ones cheering, and I was thrilled when they performed well because they are a senior national team, much as Banyana. Because if two national teams consistently do well, it sets the standard for the rest of the country in terms of football, and it is critical that we continue to compete and qualify,” adds Ellis.
“It is critical for any senior player to be a motivator in the team while also inspiring and raising awareness of the magnitude of the competition. It is very different because top countries travel there to compete for Olympic medals, and being an Olympian is extremely rewarding, so getting there requires mental attention, and this is what we are discussing, and there are so many options; you are seen by the entire world.”
Banyana are the current African champions. Kholosa Biyana, a midfielder, was in the team that failed to qualify for the Olympics four years ago. She believes it will be critical to qualify for the global games this time.
Banyana will face Tanzania away in the opening leg on the 23rd of this month, with the return match in Mbombela coming four days later.