Maude Khumalo takes poor Basetsana record on the chin

Basetsana, under Khumalo's guidance, have the unfortunate record of being the only SA national football team yet to qualify for a FIFA World Cup.

READ: Banyana Banyana show support to Robyn Moodaly

Despite playing both games at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, SA were held to a 2-2 aggregate draw by Burundi, with the East Africans winning on the ‘away goal’ rule towards qualification for Colombia 2024.

"As a coach you need to take it, you need to learn from it and then you cannot always complain as a coach, you must always come up with solutions, you must always come up with a different way to approach these games,” she told SABC Sport.

“I feel like we were getting there and the crop that we have now currently, it's a crop that we need to look after," Khumalo said.

The former Banyana Banyana player has been in charge of the U20s since 2016 but has yet to emulate every other national team to have reached a global showpiece.

She believes a balancing act across age groups is still required to get the best players.

"We brought Samkele Selena to come and assist because she's 18. So, we need to give them those games and then they need to understand that the nature of the game in this level is high. It's not like the Sasol [League] and Hollywood [Hollywoodbets Super League]. So, I feel like we need to prepare them well especially starting from their clubs," Khumalo added.

Basentsana's exit in the early stages of the qualifiers coincided with seniors Banyana Banyana bowing out of the COSAFA Women’s Championship, before the semifinals.

While Khumalo concedes her team was the possible light in a rather gloomy month for SA’s women’s football, she’s optimistic about the status of the women’s game, even if there is still much work to be done.

"Where we come from there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As coaches, we mustn't allow players to not train during the week and come and play in the game. 

“There's this thing of complacency that in my club I know I can play even when I don't train. So, we need to be disciplined so that when they come here they need to compete.”

That progress, however, will be undermined if professionalisation of the women’s game in South Africa is put on hold any longer, according to Khumalo – who also serves as head coach of the University of Pretoria Ladies FC.

"At the end of the day, remember Sasol has brought us here and then Hollywoodbets [Super League] came in but Sasol [League] was carrying us also as coaches. So, I feel like these kids starting from the regional league, starting from Sasol [League] and coming to Hollywoodbets Super League because, at the end of the day, we need competition. We need to be competitive in the league so that we get the best out of these players."