4 key takeaways from Danny Jordaan as he welcomed Banyana Banyana
SAFA president Danny Jordaan welcomed triumphant Banyana Banyana on Thursday at the OR Tambo International after a successful tournament in Turkey.
The reigning African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) champions were officially crowned Group A winners of the Turkish Women’s Cup.
Banyana beat Uzbekistan 3-0 on Saturday before a hard-fought 1-1 draw against eventual runners-up Slovenia on Tuesday.
THE FOCUS WAS ON WORLD CUP PREPARATIONS
The trip to Antalya, which came after extensive consultations, was purely aimed at finetuning the team’s preparations for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup set for New Zealand and Australia from 20 July to 20 August.
Here’s what Jordaan said as Banyana touched down on home soil after a week away in Turkey, a country that was hit by several earthquakes.
“This is the second tournament and the second trophy they have brought home; we are delighted. Of course, we wanted to give the team an opportunity to play European opposition,” Jordaan told journalists.
“In their World Cup group, there are two European teams – Sweden and Italy. I think Slovenia is quite close to the quality of Italy, which will give them a good test.”
The fourth team in Group G is South American powerhouse Argentina. He believes the Turkish Cup outing showed where the team is regarding preparations for the global soccer showpiece.
LOOKING FOR TOUGH EUROPEAN OPPONENTS
The SAFA boss said they were looking to secure competitive friendly matches with European opposition ahead of the April international friendly window. The window period is 3 to 11 April 2023.
“We have one window in April, so we must get European opposition,” he said.
Some of the Europe-based players, Jordaan explained, were still in pre-season or just starting their new seasons overseas.
He, therefore, believes the April camp will give a clearer picture of where the team is in terms of readiness for the World Cup.
“The coach and technical director will have to discuss that [which opposition to play in April].”
2027 WILL BE MASSIVE
SAFA put in a bid to have the FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted in South Africa in 2027. Jordaan is convinced most of the players in the current team will be at their peak in four years. Therefore, there is positivity around that particular tournament.
“Most of these players will be at their peak because, after 2027, many of them will be at the end of their careers. That is the moment – 2027 – a World Cup in South Africa,” he added.
IMPROVE THE LEVEL OF THE HOLLYWOODBETS LEAGUE
Like Banyana coach Desiree Ellis, Jordaan believes a more competitive domestic women’s league will help close the gap.
The vision, he says, is to ensure the game turns professional and players can focus on football.
“We must get the level of Hollywoodbets to professional to allow the players to focus on football and not have part-time jobs. The players they’ll face in the World Cup are professional footballers,” explained Jordaan.
With more broadcast coverage, Jordaan is convinced the value of the league will be enhanced.
Under Vision 2030, SAFA’s drive is to see the number of women involved in football increase to 1 million from 450000.
Interestingly, when Vision 2022 started, SAFA started at a low base of 50000, which has since increased to 450000. “Vision 2022 took us to 450 000, but 2030 should take us to a million.”
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