Banyana Banyana will face England without captain Refiloe Jane and forward Wendy Shongwe after both players recently underwent operations.
The duo may not be able to kick a ball this year as they continue with the recovery process – and with the African Champions facing the Lionesses next month and another match scheduled in the November window, the two players will miss out.
Jane, a former Sassuolo midfielder in Italy, last ran out for Banyana Banyana in April this year in the two-legged Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers against Nigeria, and she was not called up for the friendly matches away to Senegal in June.
The Soweto-born player cut ties with her European employers three months ago after her contract came to an end, saying she was looking for a new challenge and also wanted to be close to her father who was not well.
University of Pretoria youngster, Shongwe, hasn’t donned the national team jersey this year, and played her last match for Banyana Banyana against the DRC in October due to injury.
The 20-year-old managed to recover but got injured again in a league match against Fort Hare earlier this season, leading to her recent operation.
News of the duo’s absence will come with great stress for Banyana Banyana head coach Desiree Ellis, who is expected to name her squad to face England soon. The clash has been termed ‘European Champions vs African Champions’ – this is because both are continental champions after the Lionesses won the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, the same year South Africa lifted the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
With Jane and Shongwe missing for the Lionesses clash, another worrying factor for Ellis could be the lack of game time for Linda Motlhalo, who is on the books of Racing Louisville in the USA. Since the midfielder’s arrival in January in the Land of the Stars and Stripes, Motlhalo has featured in three of the 22 matches played by the club in all competitions – playing a combined 32 minutes. Motlhalo was not in the match-day squad in the last two games.
England and South Africa clash on Tuesday, 29 October 2024 at the Building Society Arena, the home of Coventry City in England.
Kickoff is at 20h45 South African time.
This will be the third meeting between the two nations, with the hosts holding the advantage after winning the first two encounters 6-0 and 1-0 in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Both matches were in the Cyprus Women’s Cup.
By Matlhomola Morake
