SANOSA urges supporters to forgive Mbane and back Banyana Banyana

The South African National Supporters Association (SANOSA) has called on supporters to forgive Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane after she apologised for comments directed at fans on social media.

SANOSA president Maake said the supporters’ organisation had discussed the incident and agreed to put it aside so attention could remain on South Africa’s national women’s team and its mission in Morocco.

Mbane recently attracted criticism after posting harsh words aimed at Banyana Banyana supporters. She later issued an apology, prompting SANOSA to accept her explanation and encourage fans to continue backing the team during the WAFCON.

“After watching the whole thing on social media, I understood why it didn’t sound good to some people, but some of the things players say on social media are beyond our control,” Maake explained toKickOff.

Maake said the matter had been considered within the supporters’ group before a decision was made not to allow it to overshadow Banyana Banyana’s campaign.

“We discussed her issue within the supporters’ group. So we decided not to dwell on it and to fully focus on supporting Banyana Banyana in the WAFCON. I received a message from SAFA on Saturday promising that they would handle the matter.”

The SANOSA president added that the issue was now being dealt with by the South African Football Association (SAFA), meaning supporters could concentrate on encouraging the team rather than continuing the public dispute.

“Now that the issue is being addressed at SAFA, and we have her apology, we have decided to focus on encouraging people to support Banyana Banyana and not let this distract them.”

He also appealed directly to supporters to show forgiveness and allow the players to focus on the competition.

“Let’s forgive her as supporters. Let’s allow Banyana Banyana to focus on the current issue, which is the WAFCON. We will discuss anything else when Banyana returns.”

Maake’s comments come after the incident prompted discussion among supporters, with the controversy surrounding Mbane’s social-media remarks threatening to divert attention from Banyana Banyana’s preparations and performances.

SANOSA now wants the focus to remain on supporting the national side in Morocco. According to Maake, any further discussion of the matter can take place after the team returns from the WAFCON, rather than during the current tournament mission.

The association’s position is that Mbane’s apology should bring the issue to a close among supporters, while SAFA handles the matter through its own process. For now, Maake is asking fans to unite behind Banyana Banyana and ensure the dispute does not distract from the team’s campaign.