A standoff between South Africa’s Women’s World Cup squad and the national soccer association over pay and other issues forced officials to field a makeshift team of little-known players that included a 13-year-old for a game against Botswana on Sunday.
The game was supposed to be the final warm-up match for the African women’s champion on home soil before it headed off to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but it turned into an embarrassment on and off the field as the entire World Cup squad sat out the game.
South Africa’s team of replacement players hastily pulled together from local clubs lost 5-0 to Botswana at the Tsakane Stadium near Johannesburg. They were 4-0 down at halftime in a game that was delayed for an hour at the request of the South African Football Association (SAFA) so it could scramble and put together a team.
South Africa coach Desiree Ellis said one of the players she had to draft in was aged 13. In a post-match interview, she didn’t comment on the problems.
🗣️ “𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙙…”
Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis at Tsakane Stadium following a debacle between the team and SAFA.#SABCSportFootball pic.twitter.com/FqlcANEmii
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) July 2, 2023
The World Cup players only arrived at the match at halftime, when they emerged to watch from the stands.
SAFA also didn’t immediately comment on what sparked the standoff but Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe, the president of the South African Football Players Union, which represents the interests of soccer players, said the incident was partly caused by poor pay for the players.
“They are fighting for their rights,” Gaoshubelwe said of the South African players in a video posted on his union’s official Twitter account. “SAFA doesn’t want to include money in their contracts. We must fight for the rights of these players.”
Situation currently at @Banyana_Banyana camp! @FIFPRO @FIFProAfrica pic.twitter.com/aVjv8u3sn5
— South African Football Players Union (@SAFPU_Official) July 2, 2023
Gaoshubelwe, who was standing next to some of the players outside the team hotel in the video, said their complaints had been “dismissed” by SAFA. He was also seen in discussions with the players and accompanied them to the stadium when they turned up at halftime.
Gaoshubelwe claimed SAFA president Danny Jordaan was to blame for the standoff.
South Africa Sports Minister Zizi Kodwa said in a statement he would be meeting with the players’ union on Tuesday “to hear the serious concerns expressed by the team.”
The meeting would be about the players’ “welfare” and issues related to their contracts, Kodwa said.
The squad is due to fly to New Zealand in two groups on Tuesday and Wednesday.
