Only three days until the kick-off of the CAF Women’s Champions League from October 30 to November 13, 2022 in Morocco. In the build-up, CAFOnline.com chats to the winner of the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt and the 2022 TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Andile Dlamini.
Having won the best goalkeeper of the two tournaments, the 30-year-old South Africa international and Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper, discussed the uneasy prospect of clinching her third continental silverware in 12 months and reflects on her bittersweet goalkeeping successes with club and country.
CAFOnline.com: How does it feel to be returning to Morocco again, the same country where you recently won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with Banyana Banyana?
Andile Dlamini: It is a different kind of feeling for me, I channel my thoughts differently, I don’t like thinking of the past when I am in a new challenge because tomorrow might not bring what yesterday brought. I know that I am there to represent Mamelodi Sundowns and South Africa, but now we put the national team [Banyana] aside we focus on Mamelodi Sundowns. Before I go to the national team, I need to represent my team quite well, so the national team can see the hard work I put into the team. It is different not because we will be in Morocco but because it is different when it comes to the separation of the club and national team.
How much do you remember your team and individual successes at the inaugural edition in Egypt last year?
It is a very emotional one for me, remembering Egypt I know it should be something I am really excited about, I won the champions league and was the goalkeeper of the tournament in a very hard situation where I just came back from a troubling injury. They were just waiting to tell me my career was over and God came through and said not now. I am excited to be part of a beautiful team like Mamelodi Sundowns because the reason why I can speak to you about the history is that they gave the greatest doctors to make it doable and fight for the situation and they were also shocked since things have changed quickly. I am proud of myself and I am proud of everyone around me, that has supported me, my family in general, and everyone that played a huge role in celebrating me. I am excited that, I won the first ever, that has ever happened in African women’s football. I am really proud that I was the first to be the goalkeeper of the tournament. It will always be remembered and I guess we can only go higher and never go down.
How did your success at the inaugural Champions League inspire and influence your exploits at the recent WAFCON?
When you do something, especially in life and you that it is possible, you will forever have that mentality. So we went to play the first ever Women’s Champions League and we played against top teams from top countries, Nigeria is dominant in Africa, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, praised all over Africa, and when you win against all those, you’ll have the confidence to go and conquer Africa. We went into the WAFCON hopeful that we are going to win the tournament. I spoke about it with my teammate, before going back to South Africa with the trophy, that we are not going back empty-handed, we told ourselves that we are going to play for each other. If you believe what you say, it becomes a reality. I know that the Women’s Champions League prepared me mentally and also physically because I know if it is a tough year, it is tougher when you play against countries, because you know players from everywhere come together from different countries, you find Asisat Oshoala playing for Barcelona, everyone playing everywhere, it going to be a bomb. I told myself I need to be prepared mentally for the tournament. The way we are celebrated in Africa also prepared me, because now women’s football is taken seriously in Africa. Not only the boys are celebrated, but all who play are also celebrated, even the players that play in Africa are celebrated. So this gave me some confidence.
In space of 12 months, you will be eyeing a third continental trophy. How would your first ever WAFCON success propel you to a back-to-back Women’s Champions League triumph?
Firstly, Banyana Banyana in the country is a big deal after winning the WAFCON. We have been raising our heads high and saying we are here, and now we finally are inspiring a whole lot of young girls in the country just by winning the WAFCON. It has inspired everyone. Going into this year’s Champions League, we are not cocky, because our coach Jerry Tshabalala will always tell us to go beyond the lines, and yes we understand it, we are hungry and at the same time we need to understand that nothing comes easy in life, we have to work for it. We are going into this competition knowing that it is not going to be easy, we need to work hard for each and every point, so we can make it to the finals and so that we can be proud of ourselves.
Mamelodi Sundowns lost the COSAFA final to Green Buffaloes, what was responsible for the team’s inability to retain the title?
Sometimes you need to accept defeat and learn from it. I can really explain how, because we were dominating the game until we went to the penalty and they won, we congratulated them. In life we need to understand that, we cannot always win, you learn from the loss, and you don’t dwell on the loss. For the CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco, we need to stay focused and learn from past results. It is not going to be an easy tournament but every girl needs to be inspired to conquer the world. We are ready and have been training and staying calm.
As the defending African champions, what do you think makes Mamelodi Sundowns special going by their achievements?
With a winning mentality, the team is special. The support system is on another level. The way Mamelodi Sundowns see things is different from the way other team sees things, they are already seeing themselves playing at the European teams level. They are special because not only the men are doing great but also the women, which shows the management is doing a great job. The reason I say this is because the management does not separate the two, they treat both as special. I will love to see all men’s teams have women. When you look at Chelsea and say the reason why they are doing so good is that their victories by their boys, the management also taking care of the girls. The reason why they are special is that they are treating the boys the same way they are treating the girls. When I say the same treatment, I don’t mean pay, because we are still at the level at which we are climbing steps. You don’t climb from one to the last step. It is slowly and gradually we need to accept that. I think we will forever be a great team because we have something other teams didn’t have, which is love for each other. When we walk, you will feel our presence, we have a culture, that is South African culture. When you see a South African walk in the tunnel you will know that it is Sundowns.
Going into the second edition, as the title holders, what will be the motivation for you and your mates at Mamelodi Sundowns?
We want to be the first team to have won twice, we will work hard to win twice. You don’t go into the tournament wanting to lose anyway. You go into the tournament wanting to achieve and lift the trophy. We extremely worked hard for the first and we will forever be remembered. The only thing South African should expect is great football from us, because we will always want to perform to the best of our ability, to keep the culture. For the rest, the coach will always be aligned and it is not going to be easy because if they beat the team you beat, they did an exceptional job. So the work you have to put in is 10 times harder for every match. It is going to be a tough but also exciting tournament.
Source: CAFOnline.com
