Sporting de Gijón will bid farewell to the Segundo Division Pro (La Liga second Division) after they were relegated, with three matches remaining.
Banyana Banyana’s hard-tackling midfielder, Kholosa Biyana, is on the books of the Spanish outfit, having joined them in October 2020.
In 27 matches, they collected 17 points after managing only four wins – suffering 18 losses in the process, leaving them in 15th position.
They now have to start preparing for life in the fourth tier of Women’s Football after the current league structure was altered.
CentreCircle.online had a chat with Biyana from her base in Gijón, a large coastal city in northern Spain.
CC: Had a tough season in Spain, briefly how would you describe your this campaign on a personal level?
KB: To be honest I can’t say tough because as an individual and as a player I have grown a lot. I have learnt a lot from my coaches and teammates. My team mates are young and am sure they have learnt a lot from me too. Despite relegation, it has been a great season, I have the best team mates ever.
CC: From the club’s point of view what really happened that led to relegation?
KB: In all the matches we played this season, I don’t remember any game where we were out played, or even had less chances to score than the opposition. If it’s called luck then we had zero of that this season. And I mean home and away, if you watched us you’d know what I mean, we had one of the best seasons ever, unfortunately the results didn’t go our way and that is why we find ourselves in this position.
CC: What is your next step, are you staying with the club or looking elsewhere?
KB: We going down to national because there is a change on the league format for next season. I am not thinking about that for now, the focus is on the remaining matches and I want to give my all and finish on a high and then take it from there – you don’t know would could be watching.
CC: How much of an experience is it to play in Spain?
KB: It is great, you learn from every opposition you gain. I am loving and enjoying every minute of it. It was tough, especially in the first season and you realize we have a lot of work to do for women’s football in South Africa.
CC: Several Banyana Banyana players are abroad – Thembi, Noko, Linda, Nomvula, Hilda, Jermaine (to mention a few) – how important is that for the national team?
KB: That is always very important. It is great for the national team – remember that nations like Cameroon and Nigeria have about 90% of their players based overseas and that is why they are always up there among the top performers, and that is what we must strive for. The more players we send abroad the better for our country. We need to close the gap by shipping out players often to take our standard even higher and when that happens we will all know there is no room to be comfortable because every match is a huge battle.
CC: For the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco, Banyana Banyana has been drawn alongside Nigeria, Burundi and Botswana. What is our realistic chance in North Africa?
KB: The team has one goal, to win the tournament because we finished second in the last tournament. We have been drawn against good teams – Nigeria and Botswana we have met before, while we haven’t played Burundi, but I believe it is possible to go all the way with the right preparation and mindset!
CC: As a person watching inside from the outside, your thoughts on the Hollywoodbets Super League?
KB: What Hollywoodbets is doing for women’s football in South Africa is phenomenal, it is just great. Their presence has helped take the competition among teams a notch up, and the intensity is improving with every season – we could not have asked for more. I am just hope other corporates can come on board and help further.
CC: On a personal level, you have spent some time at the Barcelona Coaching Academy, can you tell us more about it?
KB: I have just finished my Certificate in Football Tactical Analysis. The aim is to improve as a player and hopefully help take women’s football forward in South Africa. In a very short while I will be completing by Introductory Coaching Course with them.
CC: What inspired you to go that route and what do you hope to achieve?
KB: I believe there is a huge gap and a great need in the analysis field in South African women’s football, and I have a strong belief that that is the difference between us and our counterparts abroad. Football looks easier, and can be made ever much easier when you understand the basics; fundamentals; where you have to be, at what point; what your reference should be and how you orientate yourself. And that’s my goal – to help South African female footballers understand these concepts.
By Matlhomola Morake
