Retired Seoposenwe addresses South Africa national team criticism

South Africa women’s football star Jermaine Seoposenwe has addressed criticism over Banyana Banyana’s performance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals in Morocco.

The CF Monterrey striker was reacting to social media debate over Banyana Banyana’s players’ commitment at the continental event.

Desiree Ellis’s team came back empty-handed from the competition after losing on post-match penalties to Ghana in a third-place play-off.

In a reaction, Seoposenwe said while there is merit in criticism over the team’s performance, the players are just human prone to making mistakes.

“I don’t take anything personally when it comes to football,” she explained. “You have your opinion and I’ll respect that! And I know how much the country loves Banyana, so your emotions are valid. But we are human and we make mistakes. We don’t intentionally go onto the field to play badly but it happens.”

A fan Vusi_k10 @K10Vusi had addressed Seoposenwe via her x account urging her not to take the social media comments personally.

“I hope you didn’t take it personally. The truth is that we invest a lot of emotions in this sport. You guys can really break our hearts unintentionally. When you lose, we take out our anger from all the mistakes we saw during the game and especially from the senior players,” he tweeted.

Seoposenwe announced her retirement from international football at the end of the penalty shootout against Ghana in the third-place playoff on Friday.

The striker represented South Africa on the international stage for 15 years. The 31-year-old will continue with her professional career at club level. She has played for clubs in Lithuania, Spain, Portugal before heading to Mexico.