Raja Casablanca boss Nasreddine Nabi backs Banyana Banyana before crucial WAFCON clash

Raja Casablanca head coach Nasreddine Nabi has sent his best wishes to Banyana Banyana after making an official visit to their training camp in Casablanca ahead of South Africa’s decisive Women’s Africa Cup of Nations group match against Burkina Faso.

South Africa remain without a win in Group [not specified] and must avoid defeat against Burkina Faso on Tuesday evening if they are to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.

The reigning champions began their campaign with a surprise 2-1 loss to Tanzania. Their position then appeared even more precarious on Saturday when they fell two goals behind against Ivory Coast.

However, Desiree Ellis’ side responded strongly to rescue a 2-2 draw. Thembi Kgatlana and Hildah Mogaia scored the goals that earned South Africa a point and kept their tournament alive.

Banyana Banyana have been based in Casablanca during the competition and have been using the training facilities of Botola Pro club Raja Casablanca. Nabi, who was recently appointed as the club’s head coach, visited the team during a session at Stade Mohammed V on Monday.

The former Kaizer Chiefs coach took photographs with the South African players and offered them his support before their final group fixture.

Nabi replaced South African coach Fadlu Davids at Raja Casablanca. Davids guided the club to third place in the Botola Pro standings last season, but they finished three points behind champions MAS Fes.

MAS Fes recently completed the signing of former Orlando Pirates striker Tshegofatso Mabasa.

Raja’s third-place finish meant they missed out on qualification for the CAF Champions League. RS Berkane will join MAS Fes in Africa’s premier club competitions.

The Casablanca club will instead compete in the CAF Confederation Cup. Raja could potentially face Kaizer Chiefs in that competition after Chiefs also finished in a comparable position in the Betway Premiership.

For South Africa, however, the immediate focus is on securing progress at the WAFCON and keeping their hopes of appearing at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive.

Teams that reach the WAFCON semi-finals will qualify automatically for the World Cup. There will also be routes through the play-offs for sides that reach the quarter-finals, making Tuesday’s meeting with Burkina Faso particularly significant.

South Africa must now respond to a difficult start and build on the fightback against Ivory Coast. A victory over The Stallion Ladies would give Ellis’ team the strongest possible chance of advancing, while another setback could end their hopes of progressing in the tournament and significantly complicate their World Cup qualification campaign.