06.04.2025
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Banyana Banyana prepare for WAFCON with Malawi friendlies

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  • Banyana during training.

3 minutes

Banyana Banyana captain, Thembi Kgatlana, says they must take full advantage of the two upcoming FIFA international breaks to get the team ready for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco in July.

Kgatlana says it’s not ideal that they’ll only defend their WAFCON title this year. The tournament, initially scheduled for 2024, had to be postponed, and she says they’ll just have to adapt. Banyana will face the emerging Malawi in two international friendlies in Soweto tomorrow and next Tuesday as part of their preparations for the WAFCON tournament.

Three players have not yet reported for camp, just three days before the first international friendly against Malawi. The overseas-based players were stranded in the United States due to bad weather conditions. Two players were also forced to withdraw from the squad, but coach Desiree Ellis remains confident that their absence will not negatively affect the team’s preparations.

“Look it’s not been easy we know the league has not been in full swing so we worked on a few things that we felt not just for now but for WAFCON as well because we can’t work when it’s not there. So there are a few things that we’ve worked on; otherwise the energy has been good. It’s really good to be back in camp and get ready for the next stage of our preparation for WAFCON,” says Ellis. 

Banyana Banyana star player Thembi Kgatlana says their aim is to successfully defend their WAFCON title they won back in July 2022, even though the tournament was delayed by a year.

“First, I would like to express that I am very disappointed because this tournament could have been played last year, and it disturbed a lot of things, you know, and this is something we need to start talking about. There’s nothing we can do about it; we are here. The conversations have started, obviously; that’s why we are here having a friendly match against Malawi leading up to the AFCON.” 

But Banyana will not be taking Malawi lightly. Malawi, who are the current COSAFA champions, are an emerging force in Southern African football. And Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili says they’ll approach the series with a lot of confidence after beating Zambia last month.

The series against Malawi will also serve as a farewell to two Banyana Banyana veterans, Noko Matlou and Nompumelelo Nyandeni. The 39-year-old Matlou has 173 caps for the senior women’s team, and Saturday’s match will mark the 150th game for the 37-year-old Nyandeni. Nyandeni relishes the moment after last playing for Banyana six years ago.

A Banyana Banyana reserve side managed to register two home wins against Lesotho last month. But this is the first time Banyana is back at full strength since they lost two friendlies against Jamaica late last year. The two matches against Malawi will be played at the UJ Soweto Campus.

 

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