By Dylan Bettencourt
- Seoposenwe says players are tired of fighting Safa for money, respect and basic planning every time they go to a major tournament.
- She quit after the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, saying she wants to love football again and no longer feels happy in the national team.
Banyana Banyana star Jermaine Seoposenwe says the constant struggles with the South African Football Association (Safa) made her fall out of love with the game.
The 31-year-old striker from Cape Town says she can no longer stay silent about the way Banyana players are treated.
“I just want to love football. I don’t want to be unhappy. I don’t want to continue to struggle for things that, as a national team player, you deserve,” she told Robert Marawa on Radio 94.7.
Seoposenwe was part of the team that made history for women’s football in South Africa. She scored the goal that sent Banyana to the 2016 Rio Olympics, and played in two FIFA Women’s World Cups and four WAFCON tournaments.
But she says behind all those achievements were endless fights with Safa, mostly about money and respect.
“Every time we go to a major tournament, we have to fight about money, we have to fight about basically everything,” she said. “Why do we have to fight? FIFA gives you a calendar – why don’t you budget?”
She says things were still bad just last week, when the team went on strike before the WAFCON third-place play-off against Ghana.
The players were unhappy and left for the game late after failing to reach an agreement with Safa.
“It becomes difficult for you to do your job at the best of your ability… the country expects us to do amazing things, but they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes,” she said.
Seoposenwe believes she still has a lot to offer as a player, but says it’s time to step away.
“It’s tough to walk away from the national team after 15 years. Football has given me everything. But I know what I can bring, and I know it’s best that I walk away.”
She says she’s lucky to be in a position to make that decision, but worries about younger players who don’t have that choice.
“Equality within those structures is important… it speaks a lot about how serious they take women’s football,” she said.
Pictured above: Jermaine Seoposenwe.
Image source: @jermaine109
