SA crash out of Women's Cup
4 October 2004
South Africa's football administrators have come in for heavy criticism after the national women's team was eliminated from the fourth African Women's Football Championships without winning a match.
Nigeria, Ghana and hosts South Africa were the teams to watch going into the tournament. With home ground advantage, it was felt that Banyana Banyana - "The Girls" - had the perfect opportunity to record their first ever win over Nigeria's Super Falcons, who have made the continental women's cup their own since it first went up for grabs in 1998.
Banyana had come a long way since they were first assembled as a national team in 1993. They finished runners-up to Nigeria in the 2000 championships (also hosted in SA), pushed Nigeria to the brink at the 2003 All Africa Games, and came within one goal of qualifying (ahead of Nigeria) for the 2004 Olympics.
This time round, they didn't even have the privilege of playing Nigeria.
"The Girls"
lost 3-0 to Ghana in their opening game of the tournament, followed by a 2-1 defeat by Zimbabwe - the first time South Africa have lost to their northern neighbours since 1994. Unfancied Ethiopia completed the rout when they trounced Banyana 2-1 to seal South Africa's exit from the tournament.
Nigeria beat Cameroon in the final to seal their domination of African women's football. The Super Falcons have won every edition of the tournament since its inception in 1998.
Ghana, runners-up to Nigeria in 1998 and 2002, beat Ethiopia in the play-off for third spot.
'We weren't ready' - Palacios
Despite the fact that Banyana last played almost 10 months ago - when they narrowly lost to Nigeria in the Athens Olympic qualifier - they only assembled 10 days prior to the start of the tournament.
On top of that, they were left without a coach in the week preceding the tournament. Caretaker coach Augusto Palacios had left with the women's
under-19 squad for Nigeria, where they played and lost in an under-19 World Cup qualifier.
The SA Football Association roped in senior men's assistant coach Steve Komphela to stand in for Palacios. But Komphela, who had been overseas on a Bafana Bafana mission, arrived at Banyana's camp less than four hours before the start of the tournament.
"We did not deserve to do well because the team was not ready", Palacios said. "The other thing is that we had too many injuries, especially in the last two games against Zimbabwe and Ethiopia."
The South African squad
Delisile Mbatha (Soshanguve All Stars)
Itumeleng Chimeloane (Sundowns FC)
Gloria Tu Busisiwe Sibanyoni (Springs Home Sweepers)
Hlengiwe Ngwane (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Rose Jijana (Boipatong Ladies)
Portia Mtokwane (Cape Town Spurs)
Martha Malaku (Hill Gunners)
Thando Dlamini (Soweto Ladies)
Nandipha Mlomo (Free State
University)
Phindile Kabini (Detroit)
Antonio Carelse (Cape Town Spurs)
Mpumi Nyandeni (Detroit)
Lydia Monyepao
Portia Modise (Soweto Ladies)
Veronica Phewa (Durban Ladies)
Jo-Anne Solomons (Cape Town Spurs)
Nomathemba Ntsibande (Springs Home Sweepers)
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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