Head coach of the Sasol-sponsored Banyana Banyana, Desiree Ellis, has named a squad of 26 players to play in the annual Turkish Women’s Cup that will run from 13-23 this month.
But there are doubts about the tournament going ahead following a massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday morning (6 February) leaving more than 1500 people dead (at the time of writing) and many thousands more unaccounted for and others displaced.
After missing out on a spot at the Cyprus Women’s Cup, the South Africans received a lifeline and were invited to the 2023 Turkish Women’s Cup, where hosts Turkey, COSAFA neighbours Zambia, Uzbekistan, Slovenia and Venezuela lay in wait.
The African champions are scheduled to play three matches – taking on the home side on 15 February, followed by another clash against Uzbekistan three days later (18 February) and round off the tournament with a match against Venezuela on 21 February.
“There’s been an earthquake in Turkey and Syria and my condolences to both countries. We are in close contact with the embassy as well as the local organizers (Turkish Women’s Cup) and as soon as there are new developments, we will let everybody know, but we can only continue with our preparations until we are told otherwise,” said Ellis.
“We are grateful that we get to play European as well as South American opposition and for us this is about building some confidence. We know we are not going to be ready for the World Cup now but must be ready when we go there.”
News coming out of Turkey is that the death toll is rising rapidly, with the rescuers trying to extract victims out of the rubble.
There is also the danger of the aftershocks, which has SAFA in a bit of a fix as they want to up the tempo for World Cup preparations, but safety of the players and everyone is also key.
There are only two FIFA Calendar dates available for women’s football between now and the tournament in July: 13-25 March, 1-11 April. Outside of these dates, no team is obliged to release their players. But Ellis is aware that the tournament may not happen despite the organisers willing to proceed.
“This all happened just this morning so I haven’t had a chance to sit down with anyone for the Plan B or Plan C. (With things the way they are in Turkey) you might only get an answer at the last minute, so we’re trying to get in touch with them as well to get feedback on what is happening. But we cannot afford to waste this opportunity – we only have two FIFA dates that we can bring in players from abroad otherwise it would be impossible,” added Ellis.
“So, we’re looking at utilizing this February FIFA date whatever happens – there are a lot discussion about the way forward. If the Turkish Cup doesn’t happen, it will be a big blow – not going to the Turkish Cup, not being able to play the opposition that we wanted to play, then we have to have a Plan B and Plan C, and surely, we will look at that and see how we can then use this in a positive way.”
Meanwhile, of the 26 players announced by Ellis, 19 of them were at the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco in July, which speaks to consistency.
The squad will be trimmed down to 23 to travel to Turkey.
Ellis and her technical team have recalled goalkeeper Kaylin Swart (JVW) after she was left out in the three matches that Banyana Banyana played following the WAFCON tournament (Brazil twice and Australia).
They have also invited Katlego Moletsane (Royal AM) who is the current Hollywoodbets Super League Goalkeeper of the Year.
In defence there is no Janine van Wyk or Lebohang Ramelepe, while England based Faith Nokuthula (Blackburn Rovers), gets the nod after sorting out her South African documents.
The midfield was not tempered with as Kholosa Biyana (UWC) makes a return after missing the Australia friendly match due to being clubless.
There is a lot of expectation on the firepower called up by Ellis – the likes of Jermaine Seoposenwe (FC Juarez, Mexico), reigning Young Player of the Year, Nthabiseng Majiya (Richmond United) and Hilda Magaia who plays her club football in China.
But Thembi Kgatlana has been left out as she is still recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.
“As you can see there is a lot of versatility, experience and youthfulness about the squad. I maintain that the door is not closed on anyone, but I would just like to have a look at some players,” said Ellis.
“What is important with these upcoming matches is that we want to create opportunities, and not only that, but also get them on target. We also want to be sound defensively, and players need to understand the kind of opposition they will be coming up against. We need to be more calmer when on the ball, learn to play under pressure. We need to trust ourselves on the ball as well, because we are good when we have it – that is what I am expecting from these games.”
Banyana Banyana squad for the Turkish Women’s Cup
| GOALKEEPERS: | ||
| CLUB | COUNTRY | |
| ANDILE DLAMINI | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
| KAYLIN SWART | JVW FC | RSA |
| REGIRL NGOBENI | UWC FC | RSA |
| KATLEGO MOLETSENA | Royal AM FC | RSA |
| DEFENDERS: | ||
| ASANDA HADEBE | Sunflower FC (Sasol League) | RSA |
| KARABO DHLAMINI | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
| FIKILE MAGAMA | UWC FC | RSA |
| FAITH NOKUTHULA | Blackburn Rovers | ENGLAND |
| TIISETSO MAKHUBELA | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
| NOKO MATLOU | SD Eibar FC | SPAIN |
| BAMBANANI MBANE – | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
| BONGEKA GAMEDE | UWC FC | RSA |
| MIDFIELDERS: | ||
| REFILOE JANE | Sassulo FC | ITALY |
| SIBULELE HOLWENI | UWC FC | RSA |
| LINDA MOTLHALO | Glasgow City FC | SCOTLAND |
| KHOLOSA BIYANA | UWC FC | RSA |
| THALEA SMIDT | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
| ROBYN MOODALY | UWC FC | RSA |
| AMOGELANG MOTAU | UWC FC | RSA |
| FORWARDS: | ||
| NOXOLO CESANE | Tigres FC | MEXICO |
| GABBY SALGADO | JVW FC | RSA |
| JERMAINE SEOPOSENWE | FC Juarez | MEXICO |
| MELINDA KGADIETE | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
| NTHABISENG MAJIYA | Richmond United FC | RSA |
| HILDA MAGAIA | Sejong Sportstoto | SOUTH KOREA |
| LELONA DAWETI | Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies | RSA |
By Matlhomola Morake
