Van Wyk to lead Banyana Banyana in Netherlands
Janine van Wyk, who hails from Alberton, is back to lead from the front when Banyana Banyana takes on the Netherlands on July 3 in Zwolle.
The defender was part and parcel of her overseas club, Glasgow City Scotland, winning the league in Scotland with her compatriot and fellow national teammate and striker Ode Fulutudilu. They helped their team to secure a 2-0 win over Ranger on June 6.
“Winning the league title here in the Scottish League is amazing, 14 in a row for this club, this very special club. I am proud that I have contributed this season to another league title for Glasgow City,” said van Wyk.
“It has been a tough year, with Covid-19 restrictions and having to train individually. Then I came over here, but sustained a knee injury and missed the first half of the season with the club. I returned to action in January to finish off the second half of the season, where we were second behind Rangers.”
Facing the Netherlands
She now has to lead the team against number three in the world, Netherlands, on their home soil to get the much-needed training and experience to prepare for the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which kick off later this year, while the hosts are getting ready for the Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo next month.
“We are very happy to have Janine, Ode and Jermaine Seoposenwe back in the team after such a long time, they were last with us in 2019. They have all done well abroad and it will be exciting to see how they gel with the rest of the squad. That is what we will be working on this week, to make sure we play as a unit,” said the head coach of Banyana Banyana Desiree Ellis.
“We have asked Safa and our proud sponsor Sasol for stronger opposition, and we are very grateful that we are playing a top country like the Netherlands whom we last played in 2019. They are ranked number three in the world; finished as runners-up at the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France and are perhaps one of the favourites for the Olympics.”
The call-up
“Also, we are preparing for our AWCON qualifier later this year, so this not only allows us to test ourselves but also to take our preparations to another level following the victories over Zambia and Botswana in March,” said Ellis.
Banyana Banyana will be without the services of other players plying their trade abroad due to various reasons.
“Sadly though, we will not have many other players who are unable to honour the call-up for different reasons and, unfortunately, that is how international football is, more so in these testing times of Covid-19. While we would have loved to have all in camp, this is again another opportunity for other players to show what they are made of when we meet a strong side like the Netherlands.”
Regirl Ngubeni of the University of the Western Cape is the only newcomer in the squad, while Ongeziwe Ndlangisa is the sole representative from the Sasol League, where she is on the books of Hammersdale, KwaZulu-Natal-based Sunflower Women’s Football Club.
Banyana Banyana departs for the Netherlands on June 29.
