Banyana Banyana defender Bambanani Mbane says there aren’t easy teams especially heading to this year’s Women’s Africa Cup Of Nations (WAFCON) however the side is not scared of anyone.
The 2022 African champions head into the tournament in Morocco in an attempt to get out of Group B where they have Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Tanzania first and to mainly qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Desiree Ellis-led side endured a tough tournament last time out in 2024 and finished fourth at the continental event.
Mbane spoke to iDiski Times journalist Lethabo Kganyago in edition 251 of the newspaper on the occasion of her 100th cap which she got on Tuesday in the first international friendly against Algeria.
She said the team is heading to the tournament with a winning mentality and confidence.
“What we want is to win,” Mbane told iDiski Times.
“We have to have the right mindset, and we can reach what we want because also one thing about Banyana Banyana is that we are not scared of anyone.”
The Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies defender also spoke about the importance of consistently being at the World Cup after appearing at the last two successive global events.
Mbane reminisced about the last two World Cups especially the 2023 edition where the team made history by qualifying for the knockout phase and how Banyana proved they are just as good as anyone across the world.
“Let me take you back, Lee, to the 2019 World Cup,” added Mbane.
“Everyone said South Africa is just adding numbers, and that was our first experience, and we didn’t do well, honestly. And then 2023, you see there we left a mark (chuckles). If I remember well, our last group match was against Italy, so as we were packing, people said we’ll be back home after the game.
“And as senior players, we sat down and said we are not going home because it’s Italy that’s going to get knocked out. The funny part was that the hotel we were staying at was saved and prepared for Italy because they thought Italy was going to the Last 16 round. After the game, the Italians were amazed at the fact that we don’t have a professional league. They wondered what we could do if we had one based on how we were performing without one.
“Then Sweden scored in the last minutes, and against Netherlands we were unfortunate to have injuries to key players like myself and Jermaine [Seoposenwe]. But we left a mark at the 2023 World Cup that South Africa should not be undermined because we can play and compete with anyone.
“The world is aware that South Africa is a good team.”
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