The 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Champions Banyana Banyana returned from Morocco on Tuesday morning.
The team made history by winning their first WAFCON trophy by beating hosts Morocco in the final on Saturday.
Hundreds of fans welcomed the squad at the OR Tambo International Airport. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa was amongst the delegates who received the team.
SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan, Mbali Hlophe, and representatives from SASOL, the main sponsor, were present.
“I was trying not to cry because it’s very emotional to see the fantastic support and the love that they have for this team,” head coach Desiree Ellis told the media.
“We always wanted to win for the fans as well because they are an important component of us and one thing we didn’t want to do was not to disappoint.
“So we say thank you to the fans for the love. We say thank you for the support,” she said.
The squad has been awarded R 5.8 million for their efforts by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. That’s on top of the R 9.2 million from SAFA for winning the tournament.
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