Girls face the big test next
BANYANA Banyana will be given another opportunity to measure their strength when they tackle rivals Nigeria in an international friendly that will form part of a double- header involving Bafana Bafana at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium today.
With their Olympics preparation gathering momentum, the high-profile friendly will provide a yardstick to measure the progress Joseph Mkhonza has made with his girls in recent months.
Sponsored by Sasol, Banyana have travelled extensively in the last year, playing friendlies against some of the world’s top teams, including Brazil.
“Everyone is on trial for a place in the squad, irrespective of whether they played a role in us qualifying for the Olympics,” says Mkhonza.
“It’s going to be pleasantly tough selecting the final team of 18 players, but we want to keep the girls on their toes.
“We have to select the best for the Olympics and that requires a thorough selection process.”
Banyana thumped Zambia 4-1 away in an African Women’s Championship qualifier a week ago.
But the clash against powerhouses Super Falcons will give the nation a clearer picture of Banyana’s prowess, as they will be playing in front of a capacity crowd in a double- header that includes Bafana Bafana’s game against Ethiopia.
Bafana will raise the curtain in their opening 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia before Banyana take on their rivals at 5pm.
Mkhonza has expressed satisfaction with his side’s performances following recent back-to-back victories but cautions against complacency as they have to juggle between Olympic preparations and the quest to qualify for the continental championship.
“We’ve been in this situation before… last year we had to play the qualifier for the Olympics and at the same time we had to qualify for the All Africa Games,” says Mkhonza.
“We have the team for a longer period and that has helped us to keep the same team. The players understand each other better now and they’ve shown cohesion.”
Banyana skipper Amanda Dlamini hails the notable increase in support for Banyana since they qualified for the Olympics.
But Mkhonza has concerns following Mamello Makhabane’s withdrawal from the squad due to injury.