Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis felt relieved after the team’s experienced players made a timeous return to the squad ahead of a the final two-legged round of the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifier against arch-rival Nigeria.
Bambanani Mbani, Tiisetso Makhubela and captain Refiloe Jane, have all been named in the 24-squad that will also include a mixture of young players.
Ellis said the players will boost the team’s confidence and welcome their return.
“There’s one thing that you can never buy and its experience. But experience only helps when it adds value, and if it doesn’t add value anymore then it’s just experience.
“But they’ve been there in tough situations, when things were not okay, and they stood up.
“But we also have the enthusiasm of the youth and that is what we needed to get right, get that mix right,” said Ellis after announcing the squad.
Ellis added that the team also has few emerging talented players, notably, Karabo Dhlamini, Nthabiseng Majiya, Fikile Magama, Sinoxolo and Noxolo Cesane.
The team announcement was delayed by few days to give the players a fair chance as the team only started training on Tuesday.
“To announce the squad on Thursday after one session I don’t think it’ll be fair on any of us.
“This is just not any other game, this is a game to qualify for the Olympics. We would sit and look at the footage, go back the next day, etc.
We give players the opportunity to come to camp, and it’s up to them to raise the level, some came back better,” explained Ellis. We can only select what we see.
Due to the FIFA date only starting on 1 April, some players will only join the squad during the week in Nigeria.
The coach is however not bothered that the squad will not have enough time to interact, especially with the overseas based players.
“It has happened in the past where players come in at different times.
“We just have to manage that, make them understand what it is that we want to do, then get it right.
“The advantage we have is that we have a lot of them they’ve played together, for a long while, with each other, against each other.
“They know each other, they know the qualities that the players have around them,” highlighted Ellis.
The first leg will be played in Abuja, Nigeria, on April 5 and the return leg at the Loftus Versfeld stadium on April 9.
Banyana Banyana last qualified for the Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games.
