By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Determined to make good her boasts of edging out Nigeria in the race to pick the ticket to represent Africa in the Paris 2024 Olympics Women’s Football Tournament, South Africa Banyana Banyana’s head coach Desiree Ellis, has unveiled the preliminary squad to prosecute the April 1 to 9, 2024 final round of the Olympics qualifiers double-header against the Super Falcons.
Prompt News reports that Ellis’s list released in South Africa comprises of 29 players from which the final 23 will be selected for the epic battle against Nigeria even as she kept faith with same players who defeated Super Falcons in the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos in 2021 and in the group stage of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The players who know Super Falcons inside out include goalkeepers Kaylin Swart and Andile Dlamini; defenders Noko Matlou, Lebohang Ramalepe, Bambanani Mbane and Karabo Dhlamini as well as midfielders Refiloe Jane, Linda Motlhalo, Sibulele Holweni and Amocelang Motau.
Others are inspirational captain and attackers Thembi Kgatlana and her striking partners Jermaine Seoposenwe, Hilda Magaia, Gabriela Salgado and upcoming forwards Nicole Michael, Noxolo Cesane and Nthabiseng Majiya.
It has been gather that the South Africans will open camp in Pretoria one week to the the first leg tie of the final qualifying round of the 2024 Paris Olympics slated for Friday, April 5 at Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja by 5 pm.
The return leg match in South Africa will hold at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Tuesday, April 9 by 7:30pm Nigeria time.
Recall Ellis who is a multiple CAF Best Coach of the Year (Women) Award winner has said the two-legged encounters between Nigeria and South Africa is “a do or die affairs”as the winner of the two-legged encounter will join the winner of the game between Zambia and Morocco as Africa’s two representatives in the women’s football event at the summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.
Already, CAF has appointed Algerian officials led by Ms Ghada Mehat as the Center Referee while her compatriots, Asma Feriel Ouahab and Lamia Atman will be Assistant Referee 1and Fourth Official just as Mauritania’s Mariem Cheddad will be the Assistant referee 2.
Alao, former FIFA referee, Fadouma Fia as been appointed Referee Assessor and Ghana’s Christine Ziga will be the Match Commissioner.
To qualify for the final round the Super Falcons saw off Ethiopia and later eliminated the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon.
The nine-time African champions are aiming to play at the Olympics for the first time since their last appearance in 2008.
Ellis has won CAF Best Coach of the Year (Women) Award a record four times in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
