Banyana: A very special group
Van Wyk to celebrate qualifying for World Cup
BANYANA BANYANA captain Janine van Wyk believes qualifying for the World Cup serves as a source of reward for all the hardships and sacrifices she has had to endure in her illustrious career.
Van Wyk steered her team to a first ever appearance at the global showpiece that will be held next year in France, following a 2-0 win over Mali in the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations semi-finals.
In a roller coaster of emotions, disbelief and happiness, the 31-yearold skipper broke down into tears after the referee whistled the end of play at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Tuesday night.
“It’s very emotional for me because I started going into the depth of thinking of how I got here and what it took for me to get here,” Van Wyk said a post-match interview. “It really wasn’t easy, hence, it gives me a lump in my throat. It’s been worth it, and a phenomenal journey. If it wasn’t for the failures and the hardships that I went through, I wouldn’t be here talking about qualifying and going to the World Cup. I am just going to celebrate it.”
With 157 caps for Banyana, Van Wyk is the most capped national team player.
Other teammates who have also surpassed the 100-cap mark include Nompumelelo Nyandeni, Noko Matlou and Mamello Makhabane. And with age not on their side, Van Wyk indicated that this could be the end of the road for them at Awcon and she is thrilled they managed to make the most of it.
“There are a lot of other players such as Nyandeni, Matlou and Makhabane who have been here for a long time, so this is something that is so special to us,” Van Wyk said. “We won’t walk away from this tournament without putting a great fight in our last game.”
It took a collective effort from the team to get this far. The young guns ensured that they pursued the same dream as the more experienced players, as the likes of Thembi Kgatlana and Linda Motlhalo have stood out so far. Kgatlana has scored five goals in four matches in Ghana.
“It’s a very special group, and of course we made history, so I am very excited about that,” she said. “Every time we step onto the field we set small targets for ourselves and our first target was to top the group, and we did that. Our next target was to qualify the World Cup and we also did that. Now, our next target would be winning that trophy and getting the gold medal around our necks, and I think that’s something that we are capable of doing.”
Van Wyk admitted that the secret to their success at Awcon is by not putting themselves under pressure, but instead taking it game by game. Their stepping stone was the win in their opener against defending champions Nigeria, while the Mali encounter required their A game.