Safa defends decision to send Banyana to earthquake-hit Türkiye

The South African Football Association (Safa) has strongly defended its decision to send Banyana Banyana to the Turkish Women’s Cup in Alanya.

The tournament started on Wednesday without the hosts who pulled out after an earthquake that hit some parts of Türkiye and Syria last Monday leaving a trail of destruction.

Coach Desiree Ellis left the country with 16 locally-based players and will be joined by seven more who are based in Europe before they play their first match against Uzbekistan on Saturday. 

“With regards to Banyana’s trip to Türkiye, most of you wanted me but I was not giving interviews for a reason that we didn’t want to scare the players,” Safa CEO Tebogo Motlanthe said after Safa's national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Kempton Park on Friday.

“We were supposed to have played in the Cyprus Cup, but Cyprus decided to trim their tournament and unfortunately we were no longer invited because you go by invitation.

“Before the earthquake happened, we received an invite from Türkiye which the technical director (Walter Steenbok) and the coach (Ellis) discussed and they felt it was the right thing to do.

“The earthquake happened and we engaged Fifa and the organisers and the organisers said it was safe to come and Fifa said it is safe to come. That’s why Zambia went there because we were with Zambia asking questions about safety. We have done due diligence in ensuring safety.”

Motlanthe added that they decided to go ahead with the trip because it is an important part of preparations for the Fifa Women’s World Cup.

“The people were saying on a moral basis, how do you go and play when people are mourning? We had to make a choice because the team has to prepare. Part of plan B was to look for other opponents.

“But as you know, teams engage way ahead and it was going to be difficult to get an opponent. In fact it was because we wrote to many federations and we did not get an opponent.

“Imagine a situation where Zambia goes to Türkiye to prepare and South Africa we decide not go too. People are going to attack the association that we missed an opportunity.

“We had to take the preparation because the coach says, 'I am in a critical stage. I only have three windows before the World Cup. If I leave this chance to go, it means I have only two.'

“How do I choose the team? After having a meeting with the coach and TD we took a decision that we are going to participate. The team is safely there and they are saying that their stay has been a nice one and they have not met any challenges.

“We hope that they will play their two friendlies and that will afford the coach the time she wanted.”