INCOMING Banyana Banyana coaching trio Desiree Ellis, Sheryl Botes and Maud Khumalo will have a tough first assignment.
The senior national women’s team will host Egypt in a friendly that will kick off Banyana’s preparations for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Cameroon from 19 November to 3 December.
The trio will get a chance to assess the team in the match against Egypt at Makhulong Stadium on 22 October.
However, Banyana and Egypt have been drawn in the same group at the Women’s Afcon and the two teams are bound to spy on one another, which would not have been the case had Safa rather invited Group B teams Nigeria, Mali, Ghana or Kenya.
Hosts Cameroon and Zimbabwe are the other two teams in Group A.
Although Safa’s technical director of women’s football, Fran Hilton-Smith, would not divulge when the team will assemble for camp, SunSport can confirm that teams have already received call-up letters for players.
Said Hilton-Smith: “Those details are yet to be finalised by the technical committee as they are waiting for Natasha (Tsichlas), who is expected shortly. Everything will be decided at the technical committee meeting.”
Some players who got little or no game-time at the Rio Olympics might also miss the bus to the Women’s Afcon.
Sanah Mollo, Leandra Smeda and Lebogang Ramalepe have been dropped for this match.
Defender Amanda Sister, who hasn’t been called up since 2014, is unlikely to return to the side even though she has been receiving good reviews overseas.
None of the overseas based players are being considered, SunSport has learnt.
The recent Varsity Football final will have given selectors a wider choice of players. Former Under-20 captain Amogelang Motau, Lebogang Rakhuduwe, Thalea Smidt and Bontle Mashilo are some of the players who shone at the competition.
