Banyana COSAFA squad finalised | FARPost

Coach Simphiwe Dludlu has named her final Banyana Banyana squad for the COSAFA Women’s Championships set to start from 31 August to 11 September 2022 in Gqeberha.

A week ago, SAFA confirmed that the U17 National Women’s mentor will take charge of Banyana in the regional tournament, with coach “Desiree Ellis and her regulars having other commitments elsewhere.”

However, Dludlu will not have the players who won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco last month at her disposal.

The 34-year-old coach has called up an exciting group of players who have come through the development ranks. However, few of the players have donned the Banyana jersey before.

Dludlu’s first words after the Banyana assignment were: “I am glad that I will get a platform to learn more while continuing to do the work I have done at the U17 and U20 levels, where we ensure that we have a big pool of players.

“I will be assisting Coach Desiree in expanding the pool of players for Banyana Banyana as they continue preparing for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

The ex-Banyana defender continued: “I am excited for the players that we have selected, and the fact that these players will get to play against quality players within the COSAFA region.

“At the moment our region is excelling with two countries going to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. We have two clubs going to represent the region at the CAF Champions League, and this is the right time for us as South Africa to start introducing more players into Banyana Banyana.”

BANYANA FULL SQUAD