Co-captain of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Refiloe Jane, says the team is ready for their international friendly match against Serbia, which takes place on Monday (10 April 2023) at the Sports Centre of the Serbian FA in Stara Pazova.
Kickoff is at 13h30.
The South Africans left for the Eastern European country on Thursday (6 April) and are using this match at part of preparations for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, which will be held from 20 July to 20 August in Australia and New Zealand.
Prior to departure, the squad had a week-long training camp in Johannesburg for local-based players before travelling to Serbia where they were joined by members of the team who ply their trade abroad – Linda Motlhalo (Scotland), Hilda Magaia (South Korea), Jane (Italy), as well as Noxolo Cesane and Jermaine Seoposenwe (both Mexico).
Desiree Ellis’ charges will be without Spain-based defender Noko Matlou and Richmond United forward Nthabiseng Majiya, who are both injured – leaving her with 21 players to select from for the match (she had initially called up 23).
Speaking to SAFA.net at their base camp in Serbia, the Italy-based Jane says they are looking forward to the clash.
“The mood is very high in camp, everyone is excited. We have come together as a team, now everyone is here even though we had late arrivals, but everything has been going well. We are looking forward to the game – the preparations have been going very well and you can see the work that was done in South Africa shows on the field of play. So, we are very excited and proud of the girls for the work that they put in,” said Jane.
“It’s important for the new players to gel in quickly. As senior players we try to teach them as much as possible because there’s no time at all before the World Cup – the sooner they adjust to the culture and the work that we put in, the easier it will be for everyone.”
After facing the likes of Brazil, Australia, Uzbekistan and Slovenia as part of preparations, the Soweto-born midfielder is aware they could have a tough day at the office against their hosts.
“The team is ready for Serbia, and we know that they are a physical, tactical, and technical team, so it’s not going to be easy. They are ranked above us, but that says nothing at the end of the day. If we put in a good performance, if we prepare very well and implement what we’ve learned at training into the game, then it will make it easier for the team, but we are expecting a very physical match and we hope everything we have practiced will be implement in the match,” added Jane.
Serbia is ranked 35th, compared to Banyana Banyana’s 54th position. This will be South Africa’s sixth match of preparations since qualifying for the World Cup in July last year – they won one, drew one and lost the other three.
The Eastern Europeans, on the other hand, played eight matches in 2022, winning four and losing the other four – but they have never been to the global women’s football showpiece.
“So far, the preparations that we’ve had with the other teams have been very helpful. We have tested ourselves against the best – we played Brazil, Australia, the Netherlands, and the tournament in Turkey also kind of helped us. So, coming into Serbia match means the journey continues – all those preparations are like a building block to reach the top. We are taking this one as very important, and you know the journey to the top is never as easy one – if you want to get there you must put in the work, you must sacrifice a lot, which are some of the things that we do as a team. So, we’re hoping that by the time we get to the World Cup everything will be top notch,” said Jane.
Banyana Banyana has been drawn in Group E in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where they will face Sweden, Italy, and Argentina.
The South Africans are expected back home from Serbia on Wednesday morning (12 April 2023).
BANYANA BANYANA SQUAD TO FACE SERBIA – INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY:
| NAME & SURNAME | POSITION | CLUB | LOCATION |
| GOALKEEPERS: | |||
| 1. ANDILE DLAMINI | MAMELODI SUNDOWNS LADIES | Pretoria | |
| 2. KAYLIN SWART | JVW FC | Johannesburg | |
| 3. REGIRL NGOBENI | UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN CAPE | Cape Town | |
| DEFENDERS: | |||
| 4. KARABO DHLAMINI | MAMELODI SUNDOWNS LADIES | Pretoria | |
| 5. FIKILE MAGAMA | UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN CAPE | Cape Town | |
| 6. BAMBANANI MBANE | MAMELODI SUNDOWNS LADIES | Pretoria | |
| 7. BONGEKA GAMEDE | UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN CAPE | Cape town | |
| 8. LONATHEMBA MHLONGO | UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN CAPE | Cape town | |
| MIDFIELDERS: | |||
| 9. REFILOE JANE | SASSUOLO FC | Sassuolo, Italy | |
| 10. SIBULELE HOLWENI | UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN CAPE | Cape Town | |
| 11. LINDA MOTLHALO | GLASGOW CITY | Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 12. KHOLOSA BIYANA | UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN CAPE | Cape Town | |
| 13. ROBYN MOODALY | JVW FC | Johannesburg | |
| 14. NOMVULA KGOALE | TS Galaxy Queens | Mpumalanga | |
| FORWARDS: | |||
| 15. NOXOLO CESANE | TIGRES FEMENIL | Monterrey, Mexico | |
| 16. GABRIELA SALGADO | JVW FC | Johannesburg | |
| 17. SPHUMELELE SHAMASE | UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG | Johannesburg | |
| 18. JERMAINE SEOPOSENWE | FC JUAREZ | Ciudad Juarez, Mexico | |
| 19. LELONA DAWETI | MAMELODI SUNDOWNS LADIES | Pretoria | |
| 20. WENDY SHONGWE | TUKS LADIES | Pretoria | |
| 21. HILDA MAGAIA | SEJONG SPORTSTOTO | South Korea | |
By Matlhomola Morake
