Soccer’s world governing body FIFA has raised concerns that the South African women’s soccer team Banyana Banyana is not given the same level of support as the national men’s team, Bafana Bafana.
FIFA raised these concerns during the first leg of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy Tour in Durban.
Banyana made history by qualifying for the Women’s World Cup for the first time. This comes after beating Mali 2-0 at the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals in 2018.
The tournament will take place from June the 7th to July the 7th in France.
FIFA Chief Women’s Football Officer, Sarai Bareman, says disparities between Banyana Banyana and their male counterparts must be urgently addressed.
“I know when the men’s team qualified they did this thing called Bafana Bafana Fridays. I think after the team qualified and every single Friday everyone in the country put their national jerseys to recognise that the team has qualified and I asked are they doing the same thing for the Banyana Banyana and she said, ‘No’. And for me, I don’t understand why, because these girls here have sacrificed just as much as the men and they have achieved so much to get there,” says Bareman.
Following these concerns, South African Football Association (Safa) President, Danny Jordan, has called on all South Africans to support Banyana Banyana on their journey to the World Cup.
“This team is special in the hearts of so many South Africans and we call on all South Africans to – on Friday and on the day that they play the matches – to wear the jersey to show their support for our team in France.”
