Banyana Banyana show support to Robyn Moodaly

Moodaly, who was a key member of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations winning squad that made history by reaching the second round of the 2023 World Cup in Australasia, is stepping back from the national team for her "mental well-being", she recently announced. Speaking to SABC Sport, Kgatlana shed light on unseen struggles faced by football players. 

"I've played almost everywhere in the world and being in the US mental well-being is the number one priority. The players need to be in a good state of mind in order to perform. Otherwise, you're just prone to injuries, your mind is not there, you have a lot going on and it leads to other stuff," she said. 

"I'm very happy that Robyn could acknowledge that she needed to take care of her mental well-being. I think a lot of people feel judged [when] they say ' need help. I need a break.' At the end of the day, it's about you and what you're going through and I'm very happy she was able to see that for herself," Kgatlana continued.  

The 27-year-old striker, currently representing Racing Louisville in the United States, expresses her hope for her teammate’s full recovery from the ordeal and anticipates her return to the national team set-up.

"For the federation and the coaches to be able to support and understand. And I hope that she will come back." 

Meanwhile, Ellis emphasised the importance of raising awareness about the gravity of mental health issues and it’s impact on athletes. She made a solemn commitment to stand by Moodaly through all challenges.

"People don't realise how big mental health is. Sometimes social media can be a real evil, at the end of the day it's someone's daughter. We're not saying do not criticise, but bear in mind what you say. It affects everyone", Ellis told the national broadcaster

"Mental health is big, but I think coming out and taking care of your mental health is even bigger. We've read of so many people taking their lives because people just said 'Argh it's nothing'. So, we have to take care and lend our support as much as we can. That's why we're here, we're a team, but we're humans first before we're national team players or coaches," concluded Ellis.