The turn of events that occurred between December 9th and 12th shocked the entire nation. It was revealed that the South African Football Association wouldn’t be contending for the 2023 World Cup. This significant blow threw the whole team out of balance, with their first FIFA Event occurring this year in France. South Africa was also in contention to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is why this announced surprised most fans of the female sports league.
SAFA confirmed that South Africa’s Women’s National Football Team would focus their effort on the Cup of Nations. Most sports analysts in the continent of Africa believe this decision was prompted by increased tension with the SA Sports Minister. He was recently founded on committing fraudulent acts during the country’s economic downturn.
Bad Relationships
The Sports Minister of South Africa has publicly expressed his disapproval of SAFA numerous times. It’s caused incredible friction between Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa and the South Africa Football Association. It’s reached the point where this minister, who is meant to defend sports in his nation, has refused to provide his bid for South Africa to host the 2020 FIFA Women’s World Cup. It came as a significantly embarrassing moment for this man, who received his backlash in the most vengeful of ways.
Nathi Mthethwa worked with African Leaders to host the “Africa Cup of Nations.” However, all professional football organizations refused to participate in the conference. They demanded that he be terminated as the sports minister and that football in South Africa is re-evaluated going forward. However, he hasn’t been fired by government officials and has begun to retaliate. It’s rumoured that Mthethwa will terminate funds for the South African Football Association, which would disband all professional organizations in the country. Political and Sports analysts both believe this decision would be the nail in the coffin for Nathi, with government authorities being forced to terminate his high-level employment.
The remaining contenders that can host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup include New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, South Korea, and Colombia. It’s expected that the Federation of International Football Associations will make their announcement on the selected host by May 2020. Australia also confirmed that they would be submitting a last-minute redraft for their joint bid with New Zealand. This collective joint bid is anticipated to win, with their capacity to host more than 75 thousand. If this joint bid location is confirmed, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup would be held at ANZ Stadium in the Australian Olympic Park.
