Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthetwa has congratulated senior national women\u2019s football side, Banyana Banyana, on their victory in the first ever Aisha Buhari football cup.<\/P>
<\/P>
Six of Africa\u2019s top ranked teams, including women\u2019s football powerhouses Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria, competed in the tournament held in Nigeria.<\/P>
<\/P>
Following a week of football action comprising at least four matches, Banyana eventually ran out as cup winners after beating Africa\u2019s top ranked team, Nigeria, 4 – 2 in the final.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201cBanyana Banyana\u2019s dominance is indeed something that deserves all our praise. The ladies\u2019 national team, under the guidance of Coach Desiree Ellis, has done us proud. This demonstrates that it doesn\u2019t matter where the game is played. If you are well prepared, nothing will deter you from achieving your objective,\u201d Mthethwa said.<\/P>
<\/P>
Speaking to the SA Football Association’s media team, Ellis called the victory over Nigeria a win for South African women\u2019s football.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201cThe victory is not just for us here in Nigeria but it is for everyone back home who is involved and has contributed to women\u2019s football – from Sasol to Hollywood Super League.\u201d<\/P>
<\/P>
Ellis said the players showed composure and control in what is considered one of the biggest match ups in African women\u2019s football.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201cLooking back at the game, we were in control most of the time. We played at the tempo that we wanted. We controlled a lot of aspects of the game, though we gave a lot of free kicks away which was dangerous but we handled it very well.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201cI think the players showed a lot of confidence and character to take control back. We took control and we managed the game very well.\u201d<\/P>
<\/P>
The Sport Minister said the upcoming women\u2019s COSAFA Cup \u2013 a Southern African regional tournament \u2013 would present a good opportunity for the country to show its support for the women\u2019s senior national football team.<\/P>
<\/P>
\u201cWe are looking forward to their upcoming COSAFA challenge and our wish is for the nation to do the right thing, and go and vaccinate in large numbers so that, at least, we can have a significant portion of fans behind Banyana Banyana. Our national team deserves all the support they can get,\u201d he said.<\/P>
<\/P>
The COSAFA Cup is expected to kick off on September 28 in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.<\/P>
<\/P>
Source: South African Government News Agency<\/P>
<\/P><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthetwa has congratulated senior national women\u2019s football side, Banyana Banyana, on their victory in the first ever Aisha Buhari football cup.Six of Africa\u2019s top ranked teams, including women\u2019s football powerh…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n