Thembi Kgatlana rejects calls for senior Banyana Banyana players to retire

Thembi Kgatlana has criticised suggestions that South Africa’s senior Banyana Banyana players should make way for younger talent after the team’s difficult campaign at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco.

The 30-year-old forward argued that experience remains essential and pointed to Brazil great Marta as evidence that older players can continue performing at the highest level.

“I don’t know why people continue to ask that question [whether Banyana’s recent struggles have to do with the ageing squad] because in Europe, there’s Marta [Brazilian veteran playmaker], for example. She is 40 years old and still playing at the highest level [for Orlando Pride in the US],” Kgatlana said.

Kgatlana also questioned whether African supporters place too much emphasis on a player’s age, insisting that Banyana Banyana should combine established internationals with emerging talent rather than remove experienced players outright.

“I don’t know if the mentality of African fans is that players are simply too old. I don’t think they are. As long as the time is right, you need to blend experience with youth. This helps ensure that when senior players retire, there isn’t a massive gap.

“In our team, the majority of players have played in more than five Wafcons, which is a plus for the younger ones because they are learning every day, in training, and in matches.”

South Africa, the 2022 Wafcon champions, were knocked out in the quarter-finals by hosts Morocco. That result also meant they missed out on automatic qualification for the World Cup.

However, Banyana Banyana kept their hopes alive by defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the match for a place in the World Cup intercontinental play-offs. Kgatlana scored South Africa’s second goal in that victory at Casablanca’s Moulay Rachid Stadium on Thursday.

She had also scored three goals during the Wafcon, but South Africa’s overall campaign was overshadowed by their quarter-final elimination and the need to take the longer route towards the World Cup.

The draw for the intercontinental play-offs will be held in Zurich on Thursday. The qualification process will take place over two phases, with the first scheduled for November and December.

Six teams will contest the opening phase: two from Africa, two from Asia, one from Oceania and one from South America. Those teams will compete for two World Cup places.

The two successful teams will then join four nations that have received byes into the second phase, which will take place in February next year. That group will include two teams from Concacaf, one from Europe and one from South America.

Three final World Cup places will be available in that second stage, leaving South Africa needing to navigate both rounds of the play-offs to secure qualification. Kgatlana’s comments underline her belief that the experience within the current Banyana Banyana squad can still play a decisive role in that challenge, rather than being viewed as a reason for the team to be rebuilt immediately.