By Els William
Banyana Banyana, the South African senior female football team failed to qualify for Paris 2024 Olympic Games, courtesy of a goalless draw they played with the Super Falcons of Nigeria at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium, South Africa, on Friday, April 5, 2024.
The Desiree Ellis coached side had earlier lost 0-1 to the Super Falcons in the First leg of the two-legged game played earlier at MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja, the Federal Capital of Nigeria.
Having failed to upturn the 0-1 loss to Nigeria in Abuja, the Super Falcons advanced to the Finals of the Women Football competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
However, former Banyana Banyana captain, Portia Modise, is unfazed with the outcome of the game. She is unconvinced with the performance of the Super Falcons of Nigeria; and blamed their team for their failure to qualify. The Nigerian team, she observed, have “nothing” to offer; pointing out that their team lacked creativity and leadership on the pitch.
“I am hurt. It’s the first time I see such a weak Nigeria since I started to play women’s football. We needed to beat that team, they have nothing to scare us. They couldn’t trap, they can’t even do five touches.” Modise said while speaking on Metro FM.
“That is not the Nigeria we used to play with. The Nigeria that we used to play with was the stronger one. I believe the last 16 minutes Nigeria was tired. But we didn’t have leaders on the ground, people who would take over and make up other teammates.
“We don’t have skillful players.” she added
On his part, the coach of Nigeria’s Super Falcon Randy Waldrum said in his post match interview that Banyana Banyana “talked to much” before the two-legged final.
We were much more organized than the previous time we played them. That’s why I felt confident going into these two games. South Africa talked a lot before the matches how they were going to do this and that; and we just kept quiet” Waldrum told the Press after the goalless draw at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
“I believed in our team and I knew that we would be a hard team to break down, even with their talent, and the thing that you hope is you can finish off the few opportunities to advance, and I think that’s what we did” he concluded.
The game may have been won, and a place secured in the finals; but that is where the real challenge begins. The Super Falcons are now poised to face the best from other continents, and perhaps, just a slim perhaps, Africa The first huddle is with Spain, Brazil, and Japan. And that is the real group of death from which the Super Falcons is hoped to scale through.
So Modise’s assessment of the team should be taken as a golden gift; not the ego ranting of a minnow. The Coach should see to the areas of deficiencies identified in her comment.