UWC Ladies make history in qualifying for continental showpiece
Amogelang Maseko Motau of UWC Ladies celebrates qualifying for the CAF Women’s Champions League by beating Gaborone United Ladies at Mpira Stadium this past weekend. | BackpagePix
Published Aug 26, 2024
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HERMAN GIBBS
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has applauded the UWC Ladies for their historic feat of reaching the prestigious CAF Women’s Champions League after winning the Cosafa Qualifying Tournament in Malawi.
On Saturday, UWC Ladies defeated Gaborone United 9-8 on penalties after the match had finished finished 1-1 after extra-time at the Mpira Stadium in Blantyre. With this win, UWC will advance to group stages of the eight-team 2024 finals later this year. The host country for the finals and schedule will be announced at the CAF general assembly in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in mid-October.
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 24, 2024UWC won the Cosafa qualifying leg of the CAF Women’s Champions League. | BackpagePix
For the first time in the history of the four-year-old tournament, South Africa will have two teams in the continental showpiece. UWC will join Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies, who qualified because they are the defending champions.
To date, three other teams have also won through after winning qualifying tournaments. They are debutants Aigles de la Medina (Senegal), Edo Queens (Nigeria) and TP Mazembe (DRC), who will be making their second finals appearance.
Ellis said UWC’s triumph boosted the game in South Africa and was vital for developing university football. UWC are not full-time professionals, and many players continued with exams and online lectures while with the squad in Malawi over the past few days.
“I am still trying to grasp what has happened in the final,” said Ellis.
“I do not think the players of UWC realise what they have achieved. This achievement is not just for them but also for our Hollywoodbets Super League.
“This win is big for university football because a varsity side will play in the finals for the first time. I think it will hit them later because it is a personal victory for the players.
“It shows their character and mentality. It also shows how badly they wanted it. I am happy for them and coach Thinasonke (Mbuli). It was a fantastic team effort.”
Mbuli, who won the 2023 Safa Women’s League Coach of the Season accolade after her team finished second in the league, also doubles up as Ellis’ assistant coach at Banyana Banyana. She has been at the UWC helm since 2019.
Mbuli was emotional when facing the media at the post-match conference and needed some time before sharing her thoughts.
“I’m so happy for the players. I think we have a group of talented players that deserve to play at that level (Champions League),” said Mbuli.
“It was our goal to come here and do our best. In doing so, we reached the highest level of women’s club football competition in Africa. I’m excited for the players because they made history by being the first university team to qualify for the Champions League.
“We thank the South African Football Association for giving us this opportunity to play here. They will be proud that we represented them well. For South Africa to have two teams in the Champions League says a lot about the standard of women’s football in our country.”
