In the 2019 edition of the Cosafa Women’s Championship, Banyana Banyana opened their campaign in style as they hammered Comoros 17-0. The emphatic victory set the record for the biggest winning margin in the senior version of the competition. It was also the team’s biggest win in their history. That victory set the tone for the rest of the competition. 

On Tuesday 3 November, Banyana Banyana will embark on the defence of the crown which they have won for three years on the trot, and six times overall. However, their opponents in the opening game of the 2020 edition might prove more challenging than Comoros.

Coach Desiree Ellis’s team kicks off its defence against Angola in a much-anticipated Group A encounter at the Wolfson Stadium in Nelson Mandela Bay. The group is completed by Comoros and Swaziland, who will play the tournament curtain-raiser a few hours before Banyana and Angola clash.

Ellis recently emphasised that none of their Group A opponents will be taken lightly — and that is the message she has been preaching to the players to ensure that is the attitude they take to each game.

“We are the defending champions, but I won’t say it will be easy. We will be going up against teams that began preparations before us. But the players have put in great work and the competition will begin immediately in the first game,” Ellis said.

The 57-year-old coach has selected a squad of purely locally based players – blending experience and youth – with Covid-19 restrictions making it difficult for Banyana’s international contingent to travel for the regional tournament. 

Kaylin Swart at a Banyana Banyana training session for the 2020 Cosafa Cup. (Photo: Sydney Mahlangu / BackpagePix)

“We have a young group of players and the opportunity now to expose them to international competition and we want to make sure we plan properly. Then it is up to the players to execute,” Ellis told Cosafa.com. “The first game of the tournament is always the most important and we are working towards that.”

The team, and indeed all the players in the current camp, have not played any competitive football in almost nine months. The local women’s leagues were suspended when Covid-19 first broke out and were cancelled when it became clear the pandemic would not be going away anytime soon. 

One of the most experienced players in the squad, goalkeeper Andile Dlamini, who was an integral part of the Mamelodi Sundowns team as they romped to victory in the inaugural Safa National Women’s League, said it felt good to be back and reunited with her teammates.

“The camp has been amazing; everyone has adjusted quite well. We are familiar with each other since we are all playing in the Safa National league and the Sasol league,” said Dlamini.

“When it comes to fitness, we have been working on that since we got into camp and the coaches and the physical trainer know what to do regarding that and we are looking forward to our first game.”

Another veteran, and Dlamini’s fellow goalkeeper Kaylin Swart, said it was somewhat taboo being in camp and having to be always conscious of physical distancing due to the omnipresent threat of Covid-19. She said that despite all the challenges, their goal remained the same – to defend their crown.

“We all know what it will take to win, seeing that we have so many new faces in the squad, but our goal remains the same and that is to win the Cosafa Cup again,” said Swart.

No fans will be allowed into the stadiums, but matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport’s Variety4 (209), as well as being streamed live on www.cosafa.tv. DM