Durban — Banyana Banyana star Jermaine Seoposenwe has insisted that the penalty which her side were awarded in their 1-0 Wafcon semi-final win over Zambia was a fair decision.
In second half stoppage time of that game, Banyana were awarded a penalty controversially after Martha Tembo was judged to have fouled Seoposenwe in the box.
“Unfortunately the goal came the way it came. It was controversial. I think that was a penalty. You cannot obstruct a player going into the box. A lot of people have their opinions on what happened but for me, it was a penalty. We won the game fair and square. We might have not been the best team on the day. They gave us a run for our money but we showed a lot of resilience to grind out the win,” said Seoposenwe.
The 28-year-old Seoposenwe was one of the players who earned a lot of praise for her performances in the Wafcon. She also upped her game after Banyana’s first-choice star attacker Thembi Kgatlana picked up an injury early on in the tournament which forced her to miss out on all of the knockout games.
Seoposenwe also gained personal vindication due to her performances for Banyana in the tournament. By getting called up for the national team ahead of the tournament, her two year absence from national team duty was ended.
“I feel like I was always a household name but just could not play for Banyana Banyana for two years due to VISA issues. For me, this was a tournament where I could put my name out there and prove why I should be put back into the team. It was a big loss for me when Thembi was injured. We are roommates and do almost everything together. While I was away, we spoke about winning this thing for the country. I had to be strong for the team. We showed that it was not just a one man band. A lot of players play a pivotal role for the team,” said Seoposenwe.
Banyana’s immediate focus after the celebrations are over will be on preparing a side capable of churning out competitive performances at the women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. A realistic target for Desiree Ellis’ side at the World Cup will be to advance to the knockout stages of the showpiece.
“In the final we showed that the crowd did not intimidate us. We took the crowd to us. We are establishing a great brand of football. As a team, we are coming in together. Going into the World Cup, we need to be determined and work hard. Hopefully we can continue with this trend,” said Seoposenwe.