Banyana Banyana head coach Dr Desiree Ellis has played down the absence of Thembi Kgatlana from her final Women’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, saying her team has shown it is not one that relies on individuals.
Banyana are in Group C with Ghana, Mali and Tanzania at the tournament starting from 06 -27 July 2025. They head to the North without one of their key players in striker Thembi Kgatlana who withdrew from the side after being named in the first preliminary squad.
- ALSO READ: Banyana Announce Final WAFCON Squad
- Ellis Trims Down WAFCON Prelim Squad With The Exclusion Of Kgatlana
The South African Football Association (SAFA) announced that the former African Woman Footballer of the Year, withdrew due to personal reasons.
Speaking at the announcement of her final squad for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Ellis said Kgatlana’s absence shouldn’t be seen as a disappointment but an opportunity for other players to step up as like have when Kgatlana has not been able to be with the team.
“Look, there’s no two ways about it she’s one of the top players in the country,” said Ellis on SABC Sport.
“But if you look at 2022 when it came to the later stages of the tournament [WAFCON]. other players stepped up. If you look at over the year, we went to Senegal, we had a different group.
“We played Denmark we had a different group. Thembi came in for Hilda [Magaia] and a few other players came in for England, didn’t go to Jamaica with a lot of the senior players. Had a February camp with a lot of young players, you know, played Mali, we had a few players come in and then played Zambia and Botswana. We didn’t have some players come in.
“So, there’s been moments where we’ve looked at other players and given other players an opportunity. And yes, it’s not disappointing but it’s a moment where we don’t have Thembi, but we’ve shown that we’re not a team that rely on one individual.
“When you look at our goal scorers, it’s different goal scorers and it’s another opportunity for someone else to step up again.”
Banyana are set to travel to Morocco this week and they open the defense of their title against the Black Queens on 7 July in Oujda.
Did you know that the iDiski Times Digital Newspaper is completely free! Download it now by clicking the button below or fill in the form to have it sent to you every week.