The WAFCON tournament kicks off on Saturday.
Banyana Banyana wing-back Gabriela Salgado has admitted that, as the defending champions, the pressure will be on them to retain their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco.
The tournament kicks off on Saturday, but the South African women’s national team will open their account on Monday against Ghana at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda.
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They will then meet Tanzania next Friday before coming up against Mali in the last fixture of the group stages on Monday, 14 July.
Salgado acknowledges that defending their WAFCON title will be a tough task, but insists they are fully focused on the job at hand.
“The team is fully focused, prepared and we know what we have to do at the tournament being champions from 2022. Going into the tournament it’s going to take a lot of focus and determination because every team that comes here wants to win. So, we just have to go out there and do what the coach has asked for us and what we’ve trained,” she said.
“It’s very hot here but we are adjusting. We can complain, but it won’t change the weather, so we’re adjusting and doing our best to adapt to the conditions because we’ll face the same heat in the tournament.. So, it’s just to adjust and hydrate, make sure that we hydrate and stay focused as well because it takes a lot of our energy. But yes, the girls are doing well, we are fully prepared and ready for this fight,” added Salgado.
‘Possible’ for Banyana to defend crown
Banyana coach Desiree Ellis echoed Salgado’s sentiments, saying it will not be easy to defend their title.
“As much as people think it is easy, defending a title is very difficult. But we know that it is possible. It is going to take everybody to step up when someone else is not there, and that is what happened in 2022,” said Ellis.
Ellis added that they had done their homework on their opponents and knew what to expect from the likes of Mali.
“We’ve been following everything. Players are moving from these countries, so we were not just sitting; we prepared. Even though we haven’t played Mali in a while, we’ve obtained footage and begun work long before WAFCON,” commented Ellis.
Meanwhile, Banyana will be without one of their key players, Thembi Kgatlana, who withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons.