South Africa coach Desiree Ellis appealed on Sunday to the federal government and sponsors to step up if girls’s soccer within the nation is to push on after the group’s historic World Cup run.
The African champion received a World Cup recreation for the primary time, beautiful Italy 3-2 to seal a landmark place within the final 16 in Australia and New Zealand.
Its run got here to an finish in a 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands in Sydney, however it gave the 2019 finalist quite a few scares, particularly within the first half.
“To the sponsors: I don’t know how you can ignore something special like this,” mentioned Ellis, who felt her group had sufficient possibilities within the opening 45 minutes to have been out of sight.
“I don’t know how you can’t assist in getting us to climb up the ladder and assist in getting us better.”
READ: FIFA Women’s World Cup: Netherlands tames South Africa to arrange quarterfinal conflict with Spain
Ellis mentioned there have been gamers in her squad who nonetheless had full-time jobs outdoors soccer and known as for South Africa to determine knowledgeable league.
“What this team has achieved, I think the corporate world needs to stand up and really take notice and be counted,” she mentioned.
“Otherwise we will come back in four years’ time and go through the same thing… we could have gone further.
“When I looked at how the World Cup was going (with surprise results), the possibility of us winning it was there.
“So we urge the corporates to assist here. We urge the government even to step in and assist and push the corporates to come on board.
“It’s not just our senior team, it’s our youth teams as well — there are no sponsors.”
South Africa, which was squeezed out 2-1 by Sweden and drew 2-2 with Argentina within the group stage, had half a dozen possibilities within the first half towards the Dutch.
But along with some wasteful ending, it discovered goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar in unbeatable kind.
“We spoke about underdogs yesterday, I don’t think there are underdogs in this World Cup,” mentioned Ellis, whose gamers got a heat reception by the Sydney Football Stadium crowd on a lap of honour on the finish.
“The whole of South Africa should be very proud of this team.
“I know everybody got up early in the morning (back home) and expected victory.
“We are proud — disappointed of course — but proud of the players,” she added.
