A standoff between South Africa‘s Women’s World Cup squad and the national soccer association over pay and other issues forced officials to field a makeshift team of little-known players that included a 13-year-old for a game against Botswana on Sunday.
The game was supposed to be the final warm-up match for the African women’s champion on home soil before it headed off to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but it turned into an embarrassment on and off the field as the entire World Cup squad sat out the game.
South Africa’s team of replacement players — hastily pulled together from local clubs — lost 5-0 to Botswana at the Tsakane Stadium near Johannesburg. They were 4-0 down at half-time in a game that was delayed for an hour at the request of the South African Football Association (SAFA) so it could scramble and put together a team.
South Africa coach Desiree Ellis said one of the players she had to draft in was aged 13. In a post-match interview, she didn’t comment on the problems.
The World Cup players only arrived at the match at half-time, when they emerged to watch from the stands.
SAFA also didn’t immediately comment on what sparked the standoff, but Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe, the president of the South African Football Players…
