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Netherlands friendly no selfie hunt for Banyana

Awcon the bigger picture for Ellis’s players

Athenkosi Tsotsi Sports Reporter
Banyana Banyana players during the South African national women's soccer team media open day at Highlands Park Football Club.
Banyana Banyana players during the South African national women's soccer team media open day at Highlands Park Football Club.
Image: Sydney Seshibedi

Banyana Banyana have vowed not to be star-struck when they meet the Netherlands on April 12 at the Kyocera Stadium in Den Haag.

The match is the second high-profile friendly Safa has organised in the international window. They managed to get Bafana Bafana to play world champions France.

SA were outclassed, losing 5-0, and ended up being star-struck by the likes of Kylian Mbappé and taking pictures with Manchester United ace Paul Pogba.

Many people in SA were not happy with the way the men's senior national team players behaved after the defeat at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, bashing them on social media platforms.

Banyana Banyana will be given the chance of taking on the fifth-ranked team in the world and runners-up in the last Fifa Women's World Cup. Desiree Ellis's team is set to use the match as preparation for the Africa Women Cup of Nations (Awcon), which will be held in Morocco in July. 

Asked if they won't go on a selfie hunt like their male counterparts, Banyana Banyana youngster Sibulele Holweni promised that they will go to the Netherlands to play football and that  she would use this opportunity to move closer to her footballing goals. 

“We are going there to play football. We are focused because we know the match is important for us, it's not just a friendly,” said Holweni. 

“This game is for preparation for the Awcon. We plan to start with this match and then go to the tournament, which is a big tournament for us. We have to see if we can gel as a team.

“It's a big motivation for me, this match, playing the Netherlands, a team with players in top leagues. It inspires me to push for my goals,” she said. 

Belarus-based defender Lebogang Ramalepe agrees that the focus is not on their illustrious opponents. 

“For us, to be honest, we are going there to prepare for Awcon. It's not a matter of we are going to play the best team in the world,” said Ramalepe. 

“The only thing we need to do is try to achieve what we want against the Netherlands. We'll do our best as Banyana Banyana to make sure we are happy with the way we have played against the Netherlands. 

“I'm glad we have to go [through] tough opposition. It's going to help boost the morale of the team because we know how good the Netherlands are. It will help us prepare for the Awcon,” said the 30-year-old. 

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