Seoposenwe sticking to her retirement guns

Jermaine Seoposenwe stands by her decision on her retirement from international football, leaving the women’s national team aged only 31 and with the potential of playing in a World Cup only two years away.

The South Africa striker announced before the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals that she would be quitting Banyana Banyana after the tournament in Morocco, making Friday’s third place playoff game against Ghana in Casablanca her final outing for the country.

She said her decision to quit had given her a sense of serenity at the tournament.

“First and foremost, it has allowed me to just be calm about everything. Obviously, I made that decision before the tournament, so coming into the tournament has been very settled, very calm,” she said on Thursday.

Younger players have also been seeking to tap into her knowledge and experience.

“Especially Ronnel (Donnelly) now has definitely come up to me and you know try to extract a lot of knowledge but I'm not a (centre forward) but in this (tournament) I have been playing there and obviously that's the position that she plays. So she has come up and to talk to me and I appreciate the fact that she sees me as a role model.

“Then a lot of the players joke with me about, you know, my legs and all those things, but it's very interesting to be in that position. I do appreciate the way they see me and the leader that I've been for them. But for me, it's just been the sense of relief and also a sense of calmness and the fact that it's coming to an end.

“It's kind of weird in a way, but the decision that I made most from all for me and I stand by that decision.”

Seoposenwe did not think she could be dissuaded.

“There are a lot of aspects that I took into consideration when announcing my retirement. And none of those have changed. It took me a very long time to come to a decision over two years and it was a difficult decision.

“And so I don't think I can be persuaded to come out of retirement. I think at the end of the day, it's for my well-being.

“Football has given me everything that I have today and over the years, obviously Banyana has given me a platform to show my skills. I appreciate what the national team has meant for me, I appreciate what football has given me,” she added.

Coach Desiree Ellis said Seoposenwe did not realise what a role model she had become.

“I actually don't think we can thank her enough for what she's done. I mean in 2022, when Thembi (Kgatlana) got injured, Jermaine hadn't played for the team for a very long time, but then she was the one that stepped up,” added the Banyana coach.