Modise: Banyana success deserves more investment

Former Banyana Banyana captain Portia Modise says South Africa™s progression to the CAF Women™s Afcon final should urge more sponsors to back the local women™s game.

Banyana will face hosts Morocco in the final of the competition, with this being the second time in succession following the 2018 edition in Ghana, where they lost to nine-time champions, Nigeria. 

This also marks the fifth time that South Africa has reached this stage of the competition but they are yet to take the continental crown. 

Modise says corporate companies need to come on board so that players can make a living off the sport they are excelling in.

"We're in the right space as women's football in South Africa. I think us doing well in the WAFCON really shows we are ready to have a professional league at home, and for a lot of investors to come and invest in women's football," Modise told SABC Sport.

"It's our second time [in a row] we're in the WAFCON finals, we were defeated by Nigeria last time [in 2018] so now it's a totally different ball game, where the Super Falcons are not in the final for the first time, which tells you the game is changing.

"Women's football is improving all over the continent, having Morocco as hosts qualifying for the finals for the first time, it won't be easy for us either because both countries haven't won the WAFCON, because it's been Nigeria dominating.

"So, it's good to see Banyana - my country - being in the final and it's up to the girls to see how far they have come to take this thing and make history in Africa."

By Busisiwe Mokwena