Banyana gear up for clash with the Netherlands
IT’S all systems go for the historic Winnie Mandela International Challenge match between Banyana Banyana and the Netherlands at Cape Town Stadium tomorrow.
The Mandela Legacy, a foundation that focuses on equality, said it was “incredibly excited to partner with the SA Football Association (Safa) on such a significant effort to elevate women’s sports”.
The match comes after Banyana Banyana star Thembi Kgatlana won the Women’s Player of the Year award, and the team’s coach Desiree Ellis the Women’s Coach of the Year award at the Confederation of African Football awards held in Dakar, Senegal.
Striker Kgatlana was recognised for her outstanding form in 2018, when he finished as the top goal scorer at the Africa Women Cup of Nations tournament.
Safa announced at its elective congress last year that it would introduce the Challenge, an annual football match involving the women’s senior national team, in honour of maWinnie.
Last year, before maWinnie’s death, the Mandela Legacy said: “We have observed her (maWinnie’s) own excitement in the process of organising this cup (Challenge) over the past year as she crafted ideas on how we could interact to ensure that her values were being carried through, with the intention to make this a flagship event whose impact would be felt at grassroots level.
“We take this directive on as our orders in making an impact through sports in areas that are far-flung and disconnected, with little resources.
“We are driven by a will that binds us to the Struggles and victories of our nation, equally. This match will be a great experience.”
Banyana Banyana will play Sweden on Tuesday at Cape Town Stadium in the Albertina Sisulu Challenge.
Tomorrow’s match kicks off at 3pm. Banyana Banyana have qualified for the this year’s Fifa Women’s World Cup in France, which takes place in June and July.