Final touches for Bantwana

Simphiwe Dludlu (above) has assembled her Bantwana squad as they head to their last phase of preparations for the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Uruguay starting on November 13.

The coach has called up 26 players to the camp, but only 21 will travel to the South American country for the tournament.

Dludlu revealed that every single player she called up arrived for camp and they will be keeping a close eye on everyone to see which players raise their hands to represent the country at only their second Fifa Under-17 World Cup, having participated at the competition back in 2010 in Trinidad and Tobago.

“It has been a long wait since the draw and preparations for the World Cup, but we are slowly getting closer to kick-off,” Dludlu told Safa.net.

“All the girls have arrived for our final camp and although it will be a tough two weeks of training we are looking forward to seeing the girls raise their hands for the final spots in the team.”

The Bantwana coach says the next few days will be very tense and each player will need to earn their spot in the travelling party, which departs for Uruguay on October 27.

“Unfortunately the rules are clear, only 21 players can travel to the World Cup, and although we have many talented and hungry players in the squad, space is limited,” she added.