Durban — The South African women's Football side's decision to play their ‘send-off’ match against neighbours Botswana has been met with mixed emotions in different parts of the nation.
Banyana Banyana are set to face off against The Mares in a friendly international to be played at Tsakane Stadium, in the East Rand, on Sunday as part of their preparations for the Women's World Cup.
The global showpiece will be hosted in Australia and New Zealand, starting on the 20th of July, and Banyana will come up against Sweden, Argentina, and Italy in the group stage, a difficult set of fixtures.
The calls for more competitive friendly matches have rung out since head coach Desiree Ellis announced her preliminary squad at the beginning of the month.
The announcement of Botswana has seen locals criticise the organisers for the level of friendly games in anticipation of what’s to come at the World Cup.
However, the priority of Ellis and her technical team may be ensuring her side approaches the world cup in good spirits, which is a valid plan considering the tournament is three weeks away from kick-off.
Banyana has had an opportunity to come up against some of the world's best in Brazil and Australia in the last eight months and suffered 6-0 and 4-1 demolitions respectively.
While they have gone on to be competitive against Uzbekistan, Slovenia, and Serbia, another heavy defeat a few weeks before the biggest moments of some of the players’ lives might be an unnecessary mental setback.
Banyana may not be at the level of the likes of Sweden, Germany, and France but they are the best the African continent has to offer and they earned that title by playing with an unrelenting amount of passion and confidence.
Botswana themselves have proven themselves to not be as weak opposition as many may think.
The two sides met at the last Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) with Banyana frustrated for huge chunks of the game and needing an 80th-minute solitary goal by Nthabiseng Majiya to claim victory.
Coach Ellis and National Team Captain Refiloe Jane have emphasised the importance of Banyana learning from their work cup experience of 2019 and that includes working on the harmony and mental capacity of the team.
The final 23 Women's side selected for the tournament will see the likes of Thembi Kgatlana and Gabriela Salgado return to the fold after lengthy stay-aways due to injury and club commitments.
Ellis will be eager to work on her best eleven and possible game-changing substitutions in a game that is set to be competitive from start to finish.
IOL Sport