Nigeria have become a hoodoo team for Banyana Banyana. On Sunday at Orlando stadium the South African women’s national team will try to beat the Super Falcons for the first time in five attempts.
The West Africans trounced Banyana Banyana 7-1 and 4-1 in 1995 World Cup qualifiers, a harsh welcome into the international fold. In 2000 they denied the hosts a chance of lifting the African women’s championship with a 2-0 beating in a final disrupted by crowd trouble.
The friendly against the Falcons is not being taken lightly by the South Africans. The home team will be hoping to avenge their most recent loss, a 5-0 hammering in the African championship, which doubled as a qualifier for the women’s World Cup to be held in China in September.
Banyana Banyana manager Fran Hilton-Smith says: ”There is never a friendly when we take on Nigeria. It is always a challenge.”
Coach Gregory Mashilo acknowledges there is a gap between Nigeria and the rest, while Hilton-Smith says the Falcons are ”five years ahead” of South Africa in women’s soccer.
She says Nigeria have had more competitive matches than the South Africans, and their players have better physiques.
Another plus for the African champions is that their players ply their trade overseas, while Banyana Banyana have no players playing abroad, with the only competitive football being played in the Sanlam league.
The Banyana Banyana coach said: ”South Africa should not lose hope as we will be looking to beat Nigeria, but reality is that we will be using this game to lift our standard of the game as we prepare for the Olympic qualifiers.”
Mashilo admits the Nigerians give him nightmares as they are the best team in Africa. He says there is a lot they can learn from the Nigerian team, who will be using this friendly as preparation for the World Cup.
Mashilo says that if we are to beat the best team in Africa in three years’ time we will need a school of excellence for girls so as to develop the game at an early age.