Banyana Banyana were scheduled to tour West Africa but have had to make late changes to their programme after failing to secure games.
“The plan was to go on a West Africa tour and play stronger opponents,” said Banyana coach Vera Pauw. “It’s unfortunate that we won’t be going as we could not get confirmation from the teams and we couldn’t wait longer as we have to prepare our team.
“I would like to thank SAFA [the South African Football Association] and our sponsor Sasol for all their hard work in ensuring that we continue with our planned programme by securing the match against Namibia.”
Despite the failure to secure matches against stronger opponents, Pauw is still looking to use the clash against Namibia to work on some areas ahead of the continental tournament.
“This match will help us build on the good job that the girls have been doing, and also give us time to work on some aspects that need attention,” she said. “We need to play as many games as we can before the tournament.”
Banyana Banyana have played three matches so far this year, playing to a 2-2 draw against Zimbabwe in April before thrashing the Comoros 13-0 in the first leg of their AWC in May.
The Comoros then withdrew from the second leg but Banyana were able to secure a friendly against Botswana in early June, which they won 4-0.
The African Women’s Championships will take place in Namibia from 11 to 25 October and will also serve as qualifiers for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada, with the top three teams qualifying for the event.
