SOWETAN | Treat Banyana better

Banyana Banyana continue to silently make giant strides as the pride of the nation, as they proved again this week.

On Monday, in their Women Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualifier against Burkina Faso, our national team returned with a 2-0 victory, which paved their way to next year’s continental finals in Morocco, where they will seek to defend the title they won last year.

Also in that match, retiring captain Janine van Wyk made history when she broke the record for the most international caps by an African footballer, marking her 185th appearance.

It was a momentous occasion for Van Wyk, who set the new mark to overtake Egypt legend Ahmed Hassan, who had played for his country 184 times and remarkably, won three Africa Cup of Nations in a row.

Monday’s historic occasion was recognised properly, with Van Wyk handed a specially framed shirt and even world football governing body, Fifa, sending a congratulatory note.

But we could not help but notice that despite their achievements, Banyana remain on the backburner of the national cause.

First, their match took place on a Monday afternoon, not surprisingly in an empty Lucas Moripe Stadium, at a time when people were either at work or school.

The buildup to this momentous occasion surely could have been better. We could have provided better support because the match against the Burkinabe was a key Wafcon qualifier.

Thankfully, it was on TV and many South Africans were able to tune in. But can we imagine for example, a Bafana Bafana important qualifier taking place on a Monday afternoon?

We accept that the Confederation of African Football are responsible for the fixtures, but as a nation we should be doing more to recognise Banyana as a national asset.

Not so long ago, they were protesting unequal treatment and a non-existent bonus structure despite qualifying for the World Cup, which took place in Australia and New Zealand. They also refused to honour a send-off fixture, which had been scheduled to take place at what they deemed an inadequate stadium.

There were no such loud protests this week, as they celebrated Van Wyk’s achievement and a path to next year’s Wafcon finals. But it is these little things that we should get right if Banyana are truly to become a force to be reckoned with. Congrats to Van Wyk and the team, but the current African champions should not be playing in front of empty stands on a Monday afternoon.