Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis and Captain Refiloe Jane, Hope WAFCON Victory Will Attract More Sponsors

Banyana Banyana Coach Desiree Ellis and Captain Refiloe Jane, Hope WAFCON Victory Will Attract More Sponsors

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:07 PM
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  • The South African women's senior national football team's 2022 Women's Africa triumph must result in sponsors lining up
  • This is the view of coach Desiree Ellis and captain Refiloe Jane after the greatest on-pitch result by a South African football team since the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations
  • There have been increased calls from all sectors of the country for the much more successful women's team to be rewarded monetarily when compared to the men's side's extended mediocrity

Banyana Banyana hopes that their triumph at the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations will spur sponsors to increasingly associate with the nation's finest national football team.

South Africa at long last broke its WAFCON finals jinx, winning one for the first time against Morocco last Saturday after five consecutive defeats at the business end of the tournament.

banyana banyana, south africa, 2022 women's africa cup of nations, morocco, 2023 fifa women's world cup, desiree ellis, refiloe jane, equal pay, gender pay gap
There are hopes that there will be more corporate involvement in South African women's football after Banyana Banyana won the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. @FIFAWWC
Source: Twitter

With Sasol the most prominent women's national teams sponsor, as well as Hollywoodbets sponsoring the premier women's football division, coach Desiree Ellis said to SowetanLIVE:

"We've always asked for more companies to come on board but now we have this [showing her WAFCON gold medal]. So now we've got a lot of people behind us. Now it's really time for women's football to be sponsored fully in SA."

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banyana banyana, south africa, 2022 women's africa cup of nations, morocco, 2023 fifa women's world cup, desiree ellis, refiloe jane, equal pay, gender pay gap
Desiree Ellis and Refiloe Jane speak at the post-match press conference on Saturday night. Image source: @Lorenz_KO
Source: Twitter

Captain Refiloe Jane added:

"I think now we've shown with results. We've been on the rise. After today [Saturday], I don't think there's any better moment for the South African corporate world to come on board. This [their Wafcon success] should be the game-changer in SA women's football."

SAFA had pledged a R9.2-million bonus to the team if it returned from the tournament victorious as per IOL, though it is not known if this would come from the R19-million prize money that the winner of the tournament would receive from CAF.

Thousands expected for African champions Banyana Banyana's triumphant homecoming at OR Tambo on Tuesday

Several thousands of supporters are expected to welcome new African champions Banyana Banyana at the OR Tambo Airport on Tuesday morning.

As reported by Sports Brief, South Africa defeated hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final of the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations final on Saturday night, courtesy of two quick-fire Hildah Magaia at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The team will touch down around 9.30 am after their flight from North Africa.

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