Banyana Banyana made history when they beat Italy 3-2 to get out of the group stages for the first time in the Women's FIFA World Cup! This is an incredible achievement by coach Desiree Ellis, the players, technical staff and everyone in the team because not many would have predicted that we would even make it out of our group, as we were the lowest-ranked team. We were up against it and our ladies defied all the odds stacked against them. Reaching the World Cup knockout stages is a big thing, especially for a team that is participating only for the second time in their history. It is really true that anything is possible in this game and when you work hard, you get your just rewards. Congratulations, guys, and I wish you all the best in the knockouts.
G'day
On three World Cup events:
Counted among the best
If my memory serves me well, 2023 is the first time we ever have three major tournaments in the same year. I'm talking about the three World Cup events that will be happening within a short space of time. That's the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Netball World Cup as well as the Rugby World Cup. These are three different sporting codes that will be battling it out for the Event of the Year in the public's eyes. To think that South Africa will be represented in all three just goes to show how talented and equipped we are, in terms of competing with the rest of the world. It is good to see that we are counted among the best in the world. I just want to wish all our teams everything of the best as they represent our country with pride, whenever they take on the world. The Springboks will be the last team to play and, if their last match is anything to go by, they really look to be on the right track and will be ready when the time comes.
Women's World Cup:
There is potential
This is only the second time our Banyana Banyana are playing at this level, which is the highest and one that everyone dreams of. I can safely say our ladies haven't embarrassed us at all. There is very little separating our team from our opponents who are ranked way above us, but we showed up for every game played. If we were to put rankings aside, no one would know we are this far behind other countries because of the way our team represented us. If anyone was to use our game against Argentina to measure our team, they would be surprised of how well-organised we were until around the 80th minute when all hell broke loose. That's when we lost our concentration and paid the price. Honestly, that was a game we were not supposed to draw at all because that's not the result we wanted.
A win there would have told a completely different story going to the last game of the group stages. Getting four points in two games would have been great for us and put us in a better position to qualify for the knockout stages. I must say the ladies must have felt really disappointed and heartbroken to let such a good lead slip through their fingers. There is potential and talent in our team, all we need is just to make sure that we cover our bases and avoid some of the elementary mistakes we have committed in our games. If you think about it, we were in control of every game we've played, only for the results not to reflect our dominance due to our failure to kill the game. Our game management let us down in most cases, but these are football problems that we need to overcome in order to be regarded as one of the best teams.
Colombia v Germany:
Age doesn't matter
I would be failing myself and everyone who has been watching this World Cup if I didn't single this fixture out from all the games I have seen so far! I've never seen such a wonderful and breathtaking brand of football in the women's game. It was mouthwatering performance, especially from the Colombians, and everyone has been raving about Linda Caicedo and to think she's only 18 years old is just unbelievable! This is an eye-opener within the football fraternity to say, "If the talent is there, age doesn't matter. As long as a player can deliver, play them." To have such a young girl playing an integral part in the senior national team is something we can all learn from. They clearly didn't wait for her to be over 20 so that she can grow tougher to compete with the rest of the world. If you follow her progress, she was introduced to the national team at the age of 15! At that age, they felt she was ready to start learning to compete at the highest level. Look what she's doing now at such a young age in the biggest stage. She's giving older players a lot of problems and things to think about. If you have a gem, it is not about age but what can they offer. The Germans are physical and imposing, but she stood her ground against them and even scored a beautiful goal, where she showed a lot of individual brilliance. The beauty about that goal is how she finished it, tucking it into the far post as it was a curler. I must say, I really hope and wish that a lot of countries and coaches have learned from that young girl's example.
Now, I'm not just talking about their performance in winning the game only, but there are other factors that I've noticed. Their team is well-conditioned because, from the first whistle, they're playing with the same tempo. They are pressing high, combinational play, eliminating the opposition to create space, using their skill and you don't see any one of them going down because of cramps. They brought on their substitutes and that didn't affect the game negatively; instead, they continued from where the players they replaced had left off. To me, that means there is something they are doing right that other teams are not. It is not just luck because, at the end of the day, the game is the teacher. We can't shy away from that! Banyana will also learn from their mistakes because their only way to learn is through playing and making those mistakes. That's why we say the game is the teacher. I need to applaud the Colombians because they taught us a thing or two on how to become better. There are lessons that we can all draw from their team. They played with their assistant coach in charge as their head coach was suspended, but there was no difference and the assistant was communicating with the head coach, who was sitting in the stands. How the assistant guided the team was just unbelievable and there's no way we can't give credit where it is due. That was simply unbelievable and something beautiful to watch. The tournament has reached a very interesting stage where, by the time you read this column, some teams will be flying home having been eliminated from the World Cup. We are approaching the tail end of business and I can only imagine the intensity that we are going to experience.
Netball World Cup: Palacios used to make us play netball
I must say our Proteas have been in fine form and representing us with pride at the Netball World Cup taking place in Cape Town. This is obviously the first-ever time that the continent is hosting this magnificent tournament and everything has been seamless so far. I have been impressed with the organisation of the event and the fact that not even a single complaint has been registered by anyone so far, which is quite rare if you think about our continent and hosting events. It hasn't been easy for our Proteas, but they've been going about their business in a good way. Watching these games, I remembered how coach Augusto Palacios used to make us play netball against proper netball teams when he coached us. At the time, it didn't make much sense for us to play against women, using our hands when we were footballers who kicked the ball around for a living. After watching a number of the netball games so far, I have realised that the movement of and with the ball is very key. The departments within the netball court are also very important because you can't play all over the place. Now it all makes sense that coach Palacios was trying to teach us the importance of movement with and without the ball. Believe it or not, I'm really enjoying netball and wish the Proteas everything of the best in the remainder of the tournament. May they keep on shining, knowing that we are all behind them as they keep the South African flag flying high.
Rugby World Cup:
They have everything you need
The Boks will also be involved in the World Cup and they've played a couple of games already. The whole South Africa will be rallying behind them and they never disappoint. They just go out there and deliver whenever they are expected. When you look at their team, they have some new players that have been introduced, but the consistency within the team is something to marvel at. The understanding, the bravery and unity within the team is remarkable. It doesn't come as a surprise when they manoeuvre through sticky situations in the games that I have watched. I must say they continue to surprise me with the way they handle their business. They make me feel great to be a South African. Even before the game starts, you can tell from their body language that they are going for the kill. I wouldn't be surprised if they bring the Webb Ellis trophy home, once again, because the fighting spirit and unity they continue to show on the field makes me believe they are ready. The game against Argentina was tense, but their spirit, unity and focus saw them through.
That proved to me that we are ready for the World Cup and that we will be a really hard team to beat. What I also like is the consistency in competing at the highest level, regardless of who is in the team. Whoever is called upon will give 100% effort for the team and you can't really ask for more. Three sporting codes in the World Cup and this, to me, is a wake-up call to take our football and development seriously so that we can also be counted among the teams that will be representing the country at the highest level. What do we need to do to compete at the highest level? What is it that other sporting codes are doing that we are not doing? There is talent out there, but it just needs to be given a chance. We've been enjoying World Cup competition and it is clear to see that there are certain things that need to be aligned in order for us to compete at the highest level. If you look at the Boks, they have everything you need to compete and they seem to be on the right track. The same can be said about our netball and Banyana because they hold their own against top-ranked teams.
Adios, Mzansi.
Doctor Khumalo
