Football Politics Blamed As Banyana Banyana Keeper Selection Comes Under Fire After Tanzania Loss

• Banyana Banyana's surprise defeat has sparked fresh debate over the team's goalkeeper selection ahead of a crucial fixture
• Claims of football politics have added another talking point as pressure grows before the Ivory Coast clash
• A former national team coach believes one selection decision deserves more explanation

Banyana Banyana's goalkeeper selection has come under renewed scrutiny after the team's shock 2-1 defeat to Tanzania at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Former goalkeepers' coach Alex Heredia suggested football politics may be influencing decisions behind the scenes.

South Africa suffered the unexpected loss in Morocco on Monday, 27 July, leaving Desiree Ellis' side needing a strong response against Ivory Coast on Friday, 31 July.

Football politics claim follows Banyana Banyana defeat

Speaking to KickOff, Heredia questioned the reasoning behind the goalkeeping selection and said only those inside the camp know why certain calls are made.

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"To understand fully, you need to be in camp with the team to know what is really happening there and why some decisions are taken," he said.

Heredia added that, in his view, "whoever is performing better is the one who should play."

Goalkeeper decision questioned after Tanzania loss

The veteran coach said Kaylin Swart had been performing well before Andile Dlamini returned between the posts.

"I'm not sure who is the current goalkeeper coach at Banyana," Heredia said.

He added:

"Kaylin Swart was doing well, but people were always calling for 'Andile! Andile! Andile!'

"She's more charming and more active, but she makes silly mistakes sometimes, and yesterday was one of those times."

Heredia calls for greater transparency

Heredia also criticised Dlamini's positioning during the match before making his strongest claim.

"I think football politics are costing Banyana. The coach, the assistant coach and the goalkeeper coach should be able to tell us what criteria is used to choose who will be in goals for a match," he said.

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Banyana now turn their attention to Friday's Group Stage encounter against Ivory Coast as they look to revive their WAFCON campaign.

SAFA's Instagram account saga leaves fans asking the same question again

Briefly News previously reported that SAFA found itself at the centre of another social media storm after supporters spotted a new official Banyana Banyana Instagram account.

The discovery sparked fresh criticism of the football association's administration, with many fans joking that SAFA had "lost" another account.

Source: Briefly News